Nec Hoc Nec Ilud

* They are kidnapping disabled people to abuse and use as slaves in horrific conditions with government collusion. "'A living hell' for slaves on remote South Korean islands:" http://bigstory.ap.org/article/892b62b9c4284959a3e8b7a057427f0f/living-hell-slaves-remote-south-korean-islands

* Congressional Republicans have responded responded to three massive ongoing toxic spills in Montana and north Dakota including the biggest toxic brine spill in Montana history, two of which will likely take a decade or more to clean up as the previous biggest one is still not cleaned up after a decade, by trying to hurry the Keystone Pipeline, part of which will be along the same river and intended to carry oil sands, which we do not know how to clean up, through by cutting off debate. After all, even though the last two oil sands spills haven't been cleaned up, the chance of a spill along the Yellowstone and Mississippi that will destroy huge sections of midwest agricultural land is a small price to pay for a couple thousand temp jobs that will likely last less them a year. Remember, those are real jobs, unlike, teacher, police person, fire fighter, postal worker etc., according to Republican claims.

* "The Disneyland measles outbreak: “Dr. Bob” Sears says measles isn’t that bad, and an anti-vaccine activist invokes the Brady Bunch fallacy:" http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/appeal-to-brady-bunch-vaccine-fallacy/?utm_source=feedly&utm_reader=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=appeal-to-brady-bunch-vaccine-fallacy

Vaccinate your damned kids!

* "Class, race, and remedies for US inequality:"

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* "Sam Brownback’s plan to ‘fix’ state's finances hits education funding:"

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* "The brazen efforts to block a clinic:"

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* "Controversial Rep. Steve King relishes his moment in the sun:"

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* "Questionable characters to join Jindal for prayer rally:"

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* "Veteran suicide prevention poised to pass with Coburn out of the way:"

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* "Normalizing Relations with Cuba:"

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* I don't care about Football. I really resent that the patriots controversy has escaped ESPN and other sports news outlets to eat valuable air times from things that matter in the world, like Nigeria, the West African Ebola crisis, Yemen, Ukraine, Bahrain, Thailand, Pakistan, the Greek elections, etc. (This is not a full list, just things I came up with in a minute or so off the top of my head). I get that balls really matter to a lot of people, but they have multiple networks that just do sports and lots of sports shows exist on networks that do other things as well. Isn't that enough?

* The Librarians: I hate Flynn. I really hate Flynn. I am not sure it will be watchable with him in main cast. I really appreciated Ezekiel not being okay with the non-consensual body snatching. it is icky no one else sees this as a violation.

* I have come to hate "essurance" for their relentless ageism and cruel mocking of the Elderly.

* The surprise is not that Sky Mall went out of business, but that it lasted this long.

* Help my friends adopt two cats: http://djinni.livejournal.com/516743.html

* Our Financial Situation continues Scary: http://www.gofundme.com/cuovws or Lethran@gmail.com

* Armed men attacked a bus in Kenya, killing 28 people.

* MrBumblepants found. "Emily Thornberry, White Van Man and Rochester: who lost the working class?:" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11245808/Emily-Thornberry-White-Van-Man-and-Rochester-who-lost-the-working-class.html

* So there will be no justice for Mike Brown.

* MrBumblepants found. "Man Stabbed For Asking Someone to Stop Catcalling His Girlfriend:" http://jezebel.com/man-stabbed-for-asking-someone-to-stop-catcalling-his-g-1661435738?utm_campaign=socialfow_jezebel_twitter&utm_source=jezebel_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

* MrBumblepants found. "In The Hospital, There's No Such Thing As A Lesbian Knee:" http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/11/21/365469968/in-the-hospital-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-lesbian-knee

* Today I couldn't sleep. The main problem was that I was itching again. This may seem like a small thing, but there is no scratching it. The problem is the itching is deep below the surface, caused by small clusters of nerves coming back to life years after the surgeries that wounded them. it's the thing that happens if you've had surgery as often as I have. The power drill, didn't help, but the itch had stolen three or four hours of sleep before they came to change the vents. I had six things on my to do list, but I accomplished only four. I still don't have lung meds, as apparently they sent them back. *facepalm* My plan was to go get meds as my paperwork went through, theoretically lowering the cost to something I could scrape together, but they were gone, gone, gone. I hit the library. I was meant to forage, but the line was literally around the block and i hadn't enough spoons left for sitting on cold wet pavement in the rain for a couple of hours followed by trying to inch through the standing up bit. I did two more minor things. I think there is still Wednesday foraging, but I know they are closed Friday. If i were a proper adult, I'd have tried to find parking somewhere and done it anyway, I know. I came home to try to sleep for a bit instead, which plan Hector objected to, so what sleep I had was short and low quality.

The person who was over a week late paying for four partials finally settled this evening, so I must go out and mail their stuff today, no matter how tired I am and how much i hurt. *Sigh*

* Eeeew! "Letter to the editor in Lois Lane #27 (1961) has idea for how Superman can "thrash"& "punish" Lois with impunity":" https://twitter.com/superdames/status/535812376063639552

* Signal Boost: http://www.gofundme.com/warmkitty

* 1ish day, no bids. Ebay: BPAL: FOOTWORN STEPS LEADING INTO A DANK, SUFFOCATING CRYPT 2013 ATMOSPHERESPRAY: http://www.ebay.ph/itm/301397632159?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

* The Financial Situation continues Scary: http://www.gofundme.com/cuovws

* Images from the disaster in the Philipines "In pictures: Tacloban in ruins:" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24887718

Want to help?

Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.ph/donate
World Food Program: https://www.wfp.org/donate/typhoon
Doctors without Borders: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/overview.cfm?ref=main-menu

* "Polls “well-administered despite challenges”: Transparency Maldives :" http://minivannews.com/politics/polls-well-administered-despite-challenges-transparency-maldives-71336

* A white man has shot dead yet another unarmed black teenager for trying to get help after her car broke down. Yes, again. This time it was a girl. After all her mere existence outside created an existential threat to man inside the house. After all, he was armed and she wasn't, so she was clearly the threat to life and limb here, not the man who murdered her without provocation. "I Don't Want to Stand Here Again."

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* "Detroit woman shot after apparently approaching home for help:" http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/07/us/michigan-woman-shot/

* Sarah Palin was out saying racist things again:

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* This is disgusting. "Something Really Insane Just Happened In Congress, And You Probably Haven't Heard A Word About It:" http://www.upworthy.com/something-really-insane-just-happened-in-congress-and-you-probably-havent-heard-a-word-about-it

* "Record High Warming Gases in Atmosphere: Earth Losing Race Against Time :" http://www.juancole.com/2013/11/atmosphere-against-mccauley.html

* "Confused Asteroid Sprouts Tails& Six of Them!:" http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/11/08/asteroid_tales_p_2013_p5_blows_out_six_tails.html

* "Giant Ball of Fungus Removed from Farmer's Lung:" http://news.discovery.com/human/health/giant-ball-of-fungus-removed-from-farmers-lung-131107.htm

* "Bilingual? Dementia May Be Delayed:" http://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/dementia/42760

* "Pig-Like Beast Leads Way to Ancient Cave Drawings:" http://news.discovery.com/history/pig-like-beast-leads-way-to-ancient-cave-drawings-131108.htm

* "KKK Imperial Wizard Hates to See Kids in Klan Costumes: 'There's No Respect':" http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/11/kkk-imperial-wizard-says-kid-klan-costume-disrespectful/71268/

"A Ku Klux Klan leader told The Atlantic Wire that one racist Virginia mom and her 7-year-old son's Halloween costume has ruined the Klan's reputation. "There's no respect for the Klan," said Bradley Jenkins, the 40-year-old Imperial Wizard of the United Klans of America — a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated active hate group and chapter of the KKK."

They are also whining that they are treated as badly as what the KKK treated black people 30 years ago, with no sense of irony or proportion, or....


* "The Logic of Stupid Poor People:" http://tressiemc.com/2013/10/29/the-logic-of-stupid-poor-people/

* "Mannequins Give Shape to a Venezuelan Fantasy:" http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/07/world/americas/mannequins-give-shape-to-venezuelan-fantasy.html?_r=1&

Creepy Body Image Stuff Going on here.

* The Wrongest Yard:

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* "Siege by Taliban Strains Pakistani Girls’ Schools:" http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/world/asia/siege-by-taliban-strains-pakistani-girls-schools.html?_r=1&

* "The “Diaosi” social class: presage of impending social changes in China:" http://www.ministryoftofu.com/2013/06/the-diaosi-social-class-presage-of-impending-social-changes-in-china/

* The real history of Race Riots in America vs. Racist Fear mongering:

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* More on the ongoing human rights abuses in California:

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* "Murderers where the Victim was White are Far more Likely to be Punished in US (Graph):" http://www.juancole.com/2013/07/murderers-likely-punished.html

* "Racial Makeup of Red and Blue America:" http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/racial-makeup-of-red-and-blue-america/?emc=eta1

* "Why the City of Miami Is Doomed to Drown:" http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/why-the-city-of-miami-is-doomed-to-drown-20130620

* "All hail! Bacteria that control their squid overlords:" http://deepseanews.com/2013/06/all-hail-bacteria-that-control-their-squid-overlords/

* "Not yet gone, but effectively extinct:" http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/07/not-yet-gone-but-effectively-extinct/

* "Songs of Science:" http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy.html

* "Stop Frying Eggs on Roadside, Death Valley Officials Say:" http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/10/stop-frying-eggs-on-roadside-death-valley-officials-say/#ixzz2Yz5JdW89

* "My Mother's Abortion:" http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/08/opinion/my-mothers-abortion.html?_r=0

* "Texas state capitol confiscates woman's Maxi-Pad, but guns are okay:" http://americablog.com/2013/07/woman-in-tears-texas-trooper-confiscates-tampons-before-entering-senate-gallery-for-abortion-vote-video.html

* "Only a good guy with a tampon can stop a bad guy with a tampon:" http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/12/19441556-only-a-good-guy-with-a-tampon-can-stop-a-bad-guy-with-a-tampon?lite

* "North Carolina Abortion Bill Passes State House:" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/north-carolina-motorcycle-abortion_n_3582006.html

* "The only good thing to come out of North Carolina’s abortion crusade:" http://www.salon.com/2013/07/11/the_only_good_thing_to_come_out_of_north_carolinas_abortion_crusade/

* "The solution to politics!" http://greenwick.livejournal.com/217909.html

* "Latest Turkish Trans Murder Fueling Protests:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2013/07/latest-turkish-trans-murder-fueling.html

* "Tolerance For Intolerance: Boycotting Ender's Game:" http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/07/09/tolerance-for-intolerance-boycotting-enders-game/

"That’s him doubling down and saying, “You need to tolerate my intolerance.” Which is a classic derailing tactic that smells so strongly of horseshit that when he says it I wonder if I’m actually living inside a horse’s ass. Just because we elected Obama president doesn’t mean I have to tolerate racism. Bigoted ignorant fuck-all is still bigoted ignorant fuck-all."

* "France in the year 2000:" http://publicdomainreview.org/2012/06/30/france-in-the-year-2000-1899-1910/

* The Clutch:

* Standing up to Terror:

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* US Failure to Maintain Infrastructure Betrays our National Legacy:

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* I have never liked Rahm Emmanuel. Apparently, my super low opinion isn't nearly low enough. Remember all those public schools he's closing, knowing full well that those kids are going to lose 6 months to a year of academic achievement due to being uprooted and that 91% of the kids being put into overcrowded classrooms instead of smaller clases in their neighborhoods are on free and reduced lunch? It turns out, while he somehow doesn't have enough money to keep neighborhood schools open, he has 55 million dollars to waste on building a stadium as a give away to a private business. After all, which is a better use for $55 million of taxpayer money than educating the children most in need of it or corporate welfare? Clearly, punishing the children of the poor by denying the education is a top government priority, since the families vigorously protesting the thing he's doing to them don't even register compared to his rich friends wanting a kick back. I have no words, really.

If Chicago has a surplus of 55 million Dollars that they can afford to waste this way, why are they closing schools? Any one with even an unce of decency wouldn't hesitate to invest that money in children's education instead of just throwing it away on a give away to a sports team.

* Republicans Behaving Badly:

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Imagine how much these Republicans have to hate women to do these things. The racism, cruelty, and hypocrisy are also pretty appalling.

I have to admit, it's kind of nice to see John McCain still has a line, which when crossed still leads him to cry bullshit. I thought he'd sold out entirely. I'm glad to be wrong, though I wish he'd spoken up sooner.

* "New Terror Strategy Shifts C.I.A. Focus Back to Spying:" http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/24/us/politics/plan-would-orient-cia-back-toward-spying.html?google_editors_picks=true&_r=2&

Remember how I said I hoped that the choice of a CIA Head signaled that they were going to move the drones and other paramilitary activities back to the military and put the CIA back into the intelligence business? Yeah. There is more oversight with the military, and we very much need an intelligence service rather than an extra wing of the military.

* "Ken Cuccinelli Loses Petition To Uphold Anti-Sodomy Law:" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/ken-cuccinelli-sodomy_n_3051758.html

* "How Van Halen explains Obamacare, salmon regulation and scientific grants:" http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/02/how-van-halen-explains-obamacare-salmon-regulation-and-scientific-grants/

* "Kicked out of the mall — for an anti-cancer hat:" http://www.salon.com/2013/05/22/kicked_out_of_the_mall_for_an_anti_cancer_hat/

"The most insensitive mall cops ever aggressively escort out two teens who just lost their mom."

* Helen Mirren FTW! Bring tissues: http://gawker.com/helen-mirren-has-tea-with-dying-boy-after-actual-queen-509157446

* "Pavlof Volcano, Alaska Peninsula:" http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=81205

* "Privilege Soup:" http://greenwick.livejournal.com/206122.html

* "The Only Unfair Thing Ever:"

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* "Rare color film shows what London looked like in 1927:" http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/198876/rare-color-film-shows-what-london-looked-like-in-1927/

* "The 5 Ugly Lessons Hiding in Every Superhero Movie:" http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-ugly-lessons-hiding-in-every-superhero-movie/#ixzz2UIuSGkt4

* "Watch a Supercut of Every Impression Bill Hader Did on SNL:" http://www.vulture.com/2013/05/supercut-every-impression-bill-hader-did-on-snl.html

* "Benedict Cumberbatch’s ‘STID’ shower scene was deleted, but here it is:" http://www.celebitchy.com/299861/benedict_cumberbatchs_stid_shower_scene_was_deleted_but_you_can_see_it_here/

* Re: Into Darkness. I am about to ruin the ending pretty much. Stop reading if you plan on going and haven't yet.

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* I've been watching the Director's Cut of the original Alien. I was not allowed to see this in the theater, as my parents wanted to see it before letting me see it. I watched it the first time when it hit cable within a year or so of coming out. I loved how real it looked, the grittiness of the set design. I loved that Ms. Weaver looked like a particular girl in my neighborhood only grown up. I loved that she looked like she could really be an astronaut: athletic, intelligent, and mentally and emotionally tough. I'd never seen a lead character like that before and it was exciting. I was a kid raised on science fiction and monster movies and it was just so exciting to see her taking charge and fighting back. Ripley was real to me in a way most characters I saw on TV or in movies could never be. When I got older, there were other things I came to appreciate about the movie, but as a sprout, it was all about Ripley.

So here I am watching it again, amazed at how well it holds up. How many movies made in the last thirty three years have special effects that look as good even a year or two after release as the effects in this look right now? How many genre films have a real artist working out an unusual person vision in this detail and with such monumental feel? How many SF/horror genre movies made in the last year have a female lead at all, let alone one as tough and smart as Ripley? Not very many. (Off hand, I can only think of the lead in that hot mess Prometheus, though I must be missing something). See my rant about frat boydudebro leads in action/sf/superhero/etc. movies above. Ripley has no romantic plot in this first movie. She stands up for what is right in the face of the captain's direct order. She wants answers. She wants herself and the crew as a whole to survive. She is focused and professional and practical. 33 years later, and I still root for her. Would I like the crew to be more diverse? Yes. While the one character of color in the film comes off well, especially compared to pretty much everyone but Ripley, he's still a space janitor. This is a problem, like the token inclusion of the '70's so often was. Still, one roots for him, especially when no one is listening to him talk sense. (Contrast with Idris Elba's captain in Prometheus, though.) So yes, the movie isn't perfect, but hardly anything is, and it kicks Into Darknesses ass on so many levels, even watching it on my living room TV set. Seriously, watch the face hugger close up when they are poking it after it comes off the John Hurt character's face. Damn! So here's to you, Alien, for outlasting the decades with considerably more grace than I've managed.

* The dying continues in Israel and the Gaza strip. Small missiles have been exchanged and Israel is deploying soldiers on the boarder. It's not officially a war yet, but it is looking more and more like one.

* So it turns out that while John McCain was complaining about not getting enough briefings about Bengasi, he was literally skipping out on the intelligence briefing he was demanding they hold and claiming didn't exist. It seems to me that if he actually wanted the information, he'd have simply gone to the briefing instead of whining to the press, so I can only assume he doesn't give a fuck about the facts, only personal political gain. Bonus points for incoherent ranting when a reporter called him on playing hooky from the intelligence briefing.

* So Mitt Romney's been out saying incredibly offensive things about Democratic voters:

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* "Diversity is about Representation, not just votes:"

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* FOX news is claiming that rather than Sandy destroying or closing a large quantity of small businesses in the devastated areas, some still without power, that those businesses are still in business all evidence to the contrary and that the BSI and the Obama administration are lying about the effect of Sandy on jobs figures. After all, which is more likely, that Hurricane Sandy destroyed all that property and all those buildings or that a non-partisan static gathering organization is suddenly corrupt despite all evidence to the contrary? I mean it's not like the folks at the FOX new York office could just go see the damage in Rockaway or Queens or Staten Island for themselves. That would like take an hour or two an a minimum amount of effort.

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* "Why I am not a conservative:" http://jaylake.livejournal.com/3003476.html

* Thomas Jefferson and Slavery:

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* "Sorry But Uplifting Black Women =/= Misogyny:" http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/1100274.html

* "Alice Robb, Why You Tripping About The POTUS Calling His Daughters Beautiful?" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/alice-robb-why-you-tripping-about-potus.html

* "Look Who's Still Talking" John Stewart on Mitt Romney's condescending and belittling comments about voters:

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* "You Were Right: You ARE Just A Bunch Of Racist, Pathetic Sore Losers:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/11/you-were-right-you-are-just-bunch-of.html

* It's been a bad week for Amber alerts. I wish they had pictures and clearer descriptions as I'm bad enough with pictures, but useless for face spotting with no visuals at all. I'm betting that I'm not the only one who simply can't connect the word picture to real people. However it is good to know that we get Canadian ones when it's close to the boarder. I'm all for international cooperation if it gets abducted children home alive.

* I think I've finished all the solstice readings. If I missed you, let me know.

* Fire inspection is tomorrow, so the wee beasties are going to have to go into lock up in the bathrooms. None of us are looking forward to it and I know it's going to be miserable and traumatic. It does not help that the window is sometime after noon. We can't lock them in bathrooms for up to five hours, at least not in bathrooms this small.

* Mitt Romney wants to remind you how much better off the east Coast would be right now if instead of the Federal government evacuating all those people a coordinated disaster response before and after Sandy, if we just left that up to private business. I mean sure, there's no profit in generously shipping the poor to shelters, rescuing the stranded, or rebuilding all the destroyed infrastructure (without a government contract) for a private business, but he insists we should privatize disaster response or at least return it to the States. I mean, the states are closing libraries and firing teachers for lack of funds, but surely they can coordinate multiple state disaster recovery all by themselves, right? I mean doing it less efficiently and maybe not doing it at all is way better than actually saving lives, draining and rebuilding the subway system, and helping the people who lost everything. I mean, which would you rather have, FEMA and the National Weather Service, or even more tax cuts for the super rich?

* BTW, the Romney/Ryan budget's planned cut of 40% the FEMA budget would pretty much make it impossible to respond to disasters like this.

* Mitt Romney decides to do the opposite of helping because a photo op of pretending to help disaster victims is more valuable than actually helping to his campaign. After all, looking like you give a shit about other people is way better than actually giving a shit about them.

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* While Mitt Romney was holding his fake hurricane help campaign event/photo op, his surrogate John McCain was out attacking the President on Libya. After all, it's not like the president was helping to coordinate a massive evacuation and Rescue operation in light of a major disaster, right? Except he was. This doesn't look like "suspending the campaign to me:

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* "A Tale Of Two Responses To Hurricane Sandy:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-tale-of-two-responses-to-hurricane.html

* Greenwick found Snopes debunking claims that people are abusing their EBT cards: http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/grapes.asp

I know that when I had cash assistance, I took it in Cash back while grocery shopping if possible because my ATM fee came out of it. Reading the story I actually assumed that it was a matter of ATM fees on Cash assistance rather than fraud as with the cards they take out the exact amount and you do not get change. In other words, I completely agree with the folks at Snopes on this one. BTW, when food stamps were actual paper money type coupons, they gave you change to the nearest dollar and the rest came back in smaller denomination stamps. I am having trouble guessing where one would find a .99 bottle of vodka. Just saying.

* Flying Penises among the antiquities found in 2011: http://www.livescience.com/24298-roman-artifacts-penis-bone-lovers-bust.html

* Hindu Temple Find in Bali: http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=58575#.UJB_t4ayOSo

* "Dysentery epidemic killed many in the 1700s-1800s:" http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-dysentery-epidemic-1700s-1800s.html

* "Samoya and the Bear:" http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/1098258.html

* Yes I heard about Disney's plan to make Star Wars: Episode 7. I figure that given how hard Lucas pissed on his own legacy with the prequels, Disney can't really do much more damage. Do I intend to see it? Probably not. Episode 1 pretty much ruined Star wars for me and I'm pretty much done.

* Hey, did anyone else see the Venture Bros Halloween special? Are they making more?

* The Last Trick or treaters 20: http://www.rhymes-with-witch.com/rww10302012a.shtml

* Congressman Paul Broun, who is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, despite insisting that Science is “lies straight from the pit of Hell.”

Guess what political party Congressman Broun is from. Go on guess. I bet you got it in one.

* The newest Republican battle to deny African Americans the opportunity to vote in Ohio:

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* John Stewart debunks Republican claims about Sesame Street, complete with Muppet versions of Daily Show people:

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* Colbert of Right Wing BLS conspiracy theories:

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* Stephen Colbert's P.I.T.Y Party for the Rich:

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* "More News In The Nizah Morris Case:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/10/more-news-in-nizah-morris-case.html

* "Slavery WAS An Abomination:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/10/slavery-was-abomination-you-conservafool.html

* "Why I'm On Your Behinds To Vote:" http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-im-on-your-behinds-to-vote.html

* Food: http://greenwick.livejournal.com/141213.html

* Today, Greenwick and I went to look at some sewing machines, and then hung out talking in my fish alcove. The cheap Goodwill table turned out to be eactly the right shape and size. I know sane people would measure, but I'm good at eyeballing it and there was enough wiggle room for imperfection. Once I got the table situated though, I do not think it could have been better. I did the major reorganizing, but I still need to go through the nightstand to make sure things are optimally located, but it's going to be so much easier to reach things and keep them organized now.

* Remember that Marriage Equality Ad campaign I've been talking about? They just started showing a forth ad with Republicans arguing for equality on small government personal freedom grounds. Nice.

* It amuses me that the smear campaign against the Republican Gubernatorial candidate in my state seems to consist mostly of accusing him of Republicanism and that the response ad consists of the argument that he doesn't hate women like the other Republicans. Inslee: You, you... Republican! McKenna: That's not fair! I don't hate women! To be fair, there is another, murkier set where they attack each other's financial schemes, but the set I see most often is the set I mentioned first. Thanks to the National party Republican is now a euphemism for misogynist to the point that mentioning a person's party affiliation counts as an insult in my state to the point that it's internalized by actual Republicans.

* I'm not getting nearly as many polls, push polls, and robo calls this year and those I get are mostly local issue ones. I'm guessing the real money is all in the swing states.

* We need real sex ed: http://thedevilspanties.com/archives/7629

* That dispute between Japan and China is getting nastier, with anti-Japan protests and rioting in China, and the up coming Japanese election making the Japanese side volatile as well. It's sounding like the current dispute over the islands is stirring up anger left over from the Japanese invasion what with the anniversary coming up. If you don't know why the Japanese Invasion is a reason for upset, may I suggest looking up "The Rape of Nanking." A whole lot more happened, but I think that will give you an idea of why there is long lasting bad feeling, especially as some of the survivors still live.

* Mitt Romney attacks half the country to a room of rich donors. He wants you to know that you view yourself as a victim and are lazy if you use any of the social insurance programs you paid into as a worker or took a student loan from the government, or used any other public service designed to help the middle or working class, and that retirees and that the working poor who are already paying half their income into things like pay roll taxes aren't "taking personal responsibility for their lives" and aren't paying their share. He says this while pushing the Ryan budget which will lower his personal taxes to less than one percent. He said outright that he doesn't care about anybody who uses their government insurance they paid into (like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and unemployment insurance), thus making it clear that as President, he plans to work only for the benefit of the 1%:

* The Anderson Cooper coverage does a good job of showing the lie behind the Romney claims about who's not paying their share:

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* On Education Policy Double Standards:

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* Help is the Oxygen of Success:

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* Jason Puracal, an innocent Washington State native, who was imprisoned in Nicaragua's worst prison on no evidence, is finally free!

* Denmark's shameful treatment of trans activist Femanda Milan: http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/09/femanda-milan-being-deported-from.html

* "Indonesia’s Top Five Hominid Fossil Sites:" http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/2012/09/indonesias-top-five-hominid-fossil-sites/

* Despite my exhaustion, I did manage to get out to mail my ebays, plus I did a bunch of housework type things needing doing. I haen't really started on the getting ready for inspection specific stuff, but I figure that needs to wait for a little more energy. I'm still icky from the inoculation and the Hector related sleep dep and I don't want to push things when I'm already struggling with the basics.

* "How Racism Works In the Comic Industry:" http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/1093165.html

* "Introducing: A More Diverse Universe Blog Tour:" http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/1093474.html

* Vintage Cake: http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2012/9/16/sunday-sweets-casual-elegance.html

* Attn: il_volpe: Remember that hamster ball Gwion wanted to make for your Djinn? http://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/27717634661/kadrey-a-walk-on-the-seine

* Nevada caucus results, unofficial figures available when I wrote this: Romney 42-3%, Gingrich 26%, Paul 18%, santorum 13%. Yes, santorunm is in the rear, as he should be.

* It looks like the Las Vegas caucus was a mess: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/05/troubles-abound-at-special-las-vegas-caucus/

* 86% of Romney Superpac donations are a 100 thousand dollars or over. Citizens United has taken a corrupt system and making it so tragically I have no faith it can ever be fixed.

* This North Korea update is very late, as I am that behind: http://greenwick.livejournal.com/86833.html

* Experimental pie was at least three sections too many, so I'm back to tinkering with the cupcakes. This time I went all sencha, put the lavender directly in the batter, added waaaay more orange zest and some lemon zest, and tried almond extract. I also toned down the cardamom a little, as I used a lot last time. If I'm going to keep doing this I need to get more cupcake pans. I think I like the almond in there, but I used to much and I need to bring the cardamom back up a little. I suspect I put rather too much lavender in instead of not enough like last time. It's still delicious, but I haven't quite reached the fantasy cupcakes I'm aiming for. Tinker, tinker, tinker.

* Rm found. This is spoilery for plot somewhere between now and where I am in Glee. It's called "Santana vs It Gets Better" and speaks to a bunch of issues that have been under discussion outside the Glee fandom world. I particularly like the ways it talks about how not everyone in queerdom has the same story or needs: http://www.gaelick.com/2011/12/glee-santana-vs-it-gets-better/20041/

* I'm having a hard time following the 3rd Doctor's "The Ambassadors of Death," as it only survives as a bad black and white videotape copy that was part of US distribution and the sound is often really bad, to the point I have trouble parsing, even with the TV at full volume. I have no memory of this plot and I suspect I may never have seen it before. It's exciting and frustrating all at once. You can kind of tell they wrote the script for Trautman and then retrofitted it. (Not a job I'd fancy. Pertwee's got a new companion plus the Brigadier and Unit. The original was far future with Jamie and Zoe. Pertwee's Doctor is very different from Trautman's, so heaven knows what they had to do to make that work dialog and characterization wise. Trautman was doing this fae, unreliable thing where he'd fain hysteria and foolishness to trick the villain. Pertwee was doing an "international man of mystery" sort of thing). It's hard to explain exactly why it feels not quite right. It's like the tone and pacing are subtly off, like bits were cut out and replaced with long sequences that don't really add to the whole. On top of these problems, the drastic budget cuts between Trautman and Pertwee (which also led to the Doctor being stranded on earth for a large part of the Pertwee run) mean even by BBC in the 1960's standards, what few effects their are are rather embarrassing. I blame the honchos at the BBC at the time, not the poor bastards trying to make due with what they hsd, but it makes it a little hard to watch. Anyway, I'm very grateful this run was rescued and is no longer amoung the lost, but it's not the best of Pertwee, in case y'all were curious.

* I nearly caught up on lj, last Sunday, but between the physical stress, illness, and sensory overload, I'm drastically behind again. If it's important, PM or email.

* In anticipation of what I expect will be another wave of folks quitting lj, I'd like to mention again that I'm Gwydion on Dreamwidth. If I haven't friended you, give me a heads up: http://gwydion.dreamwidth.org/

* I managed to hook poor Squirrel on the Newsflesh series. Does this make me evil?

* So true: http://thedevilspanties.com/archives/6335

* Chris Hayes talks about how fucked up our prison system is with heartbreaking stats. This is what I've been on about. He starts out talking about Romney, as an intro, but follow the argument about power, politics, prisons, and poverty. It's worth it. There is a pretty good discussion with the author of The New Jim Crow touching on systemic classism and racism and the viscous cycle at the show's site if you are interested as well. I really need to read Michelle Alexander's book, it looks like as she gets into things like macro economics and the way they effected crime figures in the 60's and 70's, and the connection between Reagan's racist Southern Strategy and the "War on Drugs." (http://upwithchrishayes.msnbc.msn.com/ Saturday's show). It's a lot of segments and too long to embed here. Anyway, the intro:

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