gwydion: (Default)
2020-09-05 09:01 am

(no subject)

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* "Widespread COVID-19 vaccinations not expected until mid-2021, WHO says:" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who-briefing/widespread-covid-vaccinations-not-expected-until-mid-2021-who-says-idUSKBN25V1B0

* "A Supercomputer Analyzed Covid-19 — and an Interesting New Theory Has Emerged:" https://elemental.medium.com/a-supercomputer-analyzed-covid-19-and-an-interesting-new-theory-has-emerged-31cb8eba9d63

* "No, 94 Percent of COVID-19 Deaths Were Not Caused by Something Else:" https://slate.com/technology/2020/09/94-percent-covid19-deaths-not-caused-by-something-else.html

* "COVID-19 Can Wreck Your Heart, Even if You Haven't Had Any Symptoms:" https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-19-can-wreck-your-heart-even-if-you-havent-had-any-symptoms/

* "Israel announces partial national lockdown after coronavirus surge:" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-israel/israel-announces-partial-national-lockdown-after-coronavirus-surge-idUSKBN25U2T1

* "Cuba imposes Havana lockdown as coronavirus spreads:" https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/cuba-imposes-havana-lockdown-coronavirus-spreads-200901194133796.html

* Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S.A for 9/4/20 are 6,174,000. The death toll is 187,200. The real number is likely much higher.

* "Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 5,368 new known COVID-19 cases reported as state catches up following significant slowdown in data processing; Lake County now on warning list:" https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-covid-19-pandemic-chicago-illinois-news-20200903-dzsplixxhfhjlmhpzi6j5ybymi-story.html

* Can we stop reopening schools now? "Despite Mass Testing, University Of Illinois Sees Coronavirus Cases Rise:" https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/09/03/909137658/university-with-model-testing-regime-doubles-down-on-discipline-amid-case-spike

* "Missouri universities grappling with coronavirus spread:" https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-universities-grappling-with-coronavirus-spread/article_8827d84d-280e-59cc-aa8e-559c359dfba2.html

* "Video shows South Carolina college students crowding bar as COVID-19 cases spike:" https://thehill.com/homenews/news/515209-video-shows-south-carolina-college-students-crowding-bar-as-covid-19-cases

* "University of Iowa coronavirus cases among highest on U.S. campuses UI sees evidence surge has 'started to plateau':" https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/education/iowa-university-coronavirus-students-tests-positive-cases-20200904

* "Different coronavirus landscape increases risk of post-Labor Day weekend spike:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/different-coronavirus-landscape-increases-risk-of-post-labor-day-weekend-spike-91167813758

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* "Multiple news outlets mirror report of Trump denigrating veterans, military service:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/multiple-news-outlets-mirror-report-of-trump-denigrating-veterans-91166789918

* "'It fits': Reports of Trump disparaging veterans resonates with what we know about him:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/reports-of-trump-disparaging-veterans-resonates-with-what-we-know-91167301940

* "Gold Star Mom: Trump 'doesn't seem to have a concept of service':" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/gold-star-mom-trump-doesn-t-seem-to-have-a-concept-of-service-91166277850

* "Trump disdain for military service threatens morale of those serving:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-disdain-for-military-service-threatens-morale-of-those-serving-91165765942

* "This Former Log Cabin Republican Is on a Mission to Stop Trump:" https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2020/9/03/former-log-cabin-republican-mission-stop-trump

* "Anti-Trans Ads Against Biden Incite Fury:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/2020/9/03/anti-trans-ads-against-biden-incite-fury

* "Gay son gives his Trump-supporting mum a much-needed wake-up call in eye-opening new campaign ad:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/25/donald-trump-lgbt-gay-glaad-campaign-ad-fox-news-presidential-election/

* "Trump spins rumors about his own health into new attack on Biden:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/03/trump-attacks-bidens-health-rally-408592

* "Trump Campaign Running Photo Ads Edited To Make Joe Biden Appear Older:" https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-biden-older-facebook-ads_n_5f515dcfc5b6946f3eaf3fbe?vf&_guc_consent_skip=1599190225

* "What video analysis of the Aug. 29 Portland shooting tells us:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2020/09/04/portland-protest-shooting-video/

* "The Few, the Proud, the White: The Marine Corps Balks at Promoting Generals of Color:" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/31/us/politics/marines-race-general.html

* "White House Orders End Of 'Un-American' Racial Sensitivity Training At Federal Agencies:" https://www.huffpost.com/entry/racial-sensitivity-training-un-american_n_5f52e600c5b6578026ce23f1

* "Death of the Author 2: Rowling Boogaloo:"

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* "Shamelessly transphobic Polish minister urged to resign after lying about schools ‘stuffing’ kids with hormones:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/09/03/poland-mikolaj-pawlak-hormones-schools-transgender-pills-fact-checked/

* "Bishop who called for gay conversion camps claims church doesn't wants to force queer people into harmful 'therapy':" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/09/03/polish-bishop-now-claims-misconception-church-force-lgbt-people-into-conversion-therapy/

* "Indonesian Police Arrest Nine in Raid on 'Gay Party':" https://www.advocate.com/world/2020/9/03/indonesian-police-arrest-nine-raid-gay-party

* "You're Not Useless:"

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* "Burning Out:" https://longreads.com/2019/11/15/burning-out/

* "Bird deaths down 70 percent after painting wind turbine blades:" https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/08/black-paint-on-wind-turbines-helps-prevent-bird-massacres/

* "Once seen as loners, male elephants shown to follow elders:" https://apnews.com/ec1b2fcee31d80de93819897d2fe7441

* "Girl Talk with the Dead!:"

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* "Caged Congolese teen: Why a zoo took 114 years to apologise:" https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53917733

* "How Four Brothers Allegedly Fleeced $19 Million From Amazon:" https://www.wired.com/story/how-four-brothers-allegedly-fleeced-19-million-amazon/

* "R.I.P. David Graeber:" https://www.ianwelsh.net/r-i-p-david-graeber/

* "Amezaiku: The Nearly Lost Japanese Art of Candy Sculpture:" https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/628146/amezaiku-japanese-candy-sculpture

* "Mel Brooks, The Producers and the Ethics of Satire about N@zis:"

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* I was getting better. I swear I was. I started the second z-pac Thursday because while clearing, my lungs weren't clear. I also kind of felt crap Thursday evening, but in the expected ways given the war inside my body.

Ad then I had an ICU dream. These aren't nightmares. No really. I get them when my lungs are bad and the dream is about going on oxygen and having actual appropriate medical care. Other Americans will see why this is kind of an exciting concept. People in developed countries will likely be like: isn't that every day?

Anyway, I half woke up and thought, "Huh, that's odd. My lungs aren't bad enough for me to be dreaming about supplemental oxygen," and went back to sleep.

This was a mistake. I bet you can see the mistake already, but in my defense: half asleep and when I went to bed I was projecting them drying up by Monday.

I woke up with really bad lungs. Like worse than the day they started me on the second antibiotic bad lungs. I moved a little and ended up having to eject a cat and lean over the side of me bed in case I vomited from coughing bad.

My the time I got it together I was too late for the clinic call in hours, apparently. Like they were till open, but o longer answering phones.

Long time readers will know that I general get a virus and then an opportunistic bacterial lung infection moves in while my immune system is extra distracted between fighting off the virs and it's main goal of eating large sections of my body under the beleif that most of me is a foreign object.

Except this is clearly bacterial or it wouldn't have been responding to antibiotics. Which means odds are i just pulled the rare opposite scenario. What have I had to do a lot of the past three weeks? Go to assorted Doctors despite my real concern about infection risk. <.< >.>

Nothing could be done except wait for me to reach live people at the poverty clinic. I'm maxing out my lung treatments.

I think I need a COVID test. If I have it, odds are squirrel and I are both dead.

Update: as of 9AM, I have spent an hour so far hunting for an open Covid test slot before Tuesday. *digits cruciform*

* I watch a lot of zombie movies. Like most of them at least once. One'll slip by here or there only to be noticed a few years later and I'll have to wait for some to come up somewhere I can watch free, but I watch them all, even the terrible z-grade ones. I've been dreaming about zombies in one form another since I was literally three, before I knew the word. IDK, they resonate with me for a bunch of reasons, some of which I've written about before.

I have watched aquatic NAZI zombies, stripper zombies, lederhosen zombies, crappy racist pre-Romero zombies. I love Romero and always will. I love Cemetery Man. Train to Busan is now my favorite, but seriously Dawn of the dead in particular was formative in a bunch of ways. I even watched the zombienado thing the sharknado people made.

I may have found one of the worst zombie movies ever made last night. I mean, at least Zombienado and the zombie strippers had some camp value and the self awareness to know they aren't making a good flick here, just making a flick period, so they just had fun with it. It was a terrible, terrible thing, that made very little sense, couldn't pick a tone, was consistently horribly racist despite being made in 2014 and randomly casually homophobic, and had possibly the stupidest, most annoying collection of characters ever assembled in a zombie movie. Also it was simultaneously vehemently christian and anti-christian in a way that just kept confusing me. It seemed to be trying to say something about religion, but the whole thing was so incoherent, I can't venture a guess as to what.

When I say stupid, I mean I literally could not figure out how this collection of people could survive an hour in a zombie apocalypse let alone a year and a half. These zombies are attracted to noise, but they never shut up and like yelling and screaming all the fucking time. All of their ideas are terrible and frequently deadly. The teenager keeps wandering off by herself. they keep putting limbs and faces next to infected people. they don't pay attention to undead they can see coming towards them because their annoying petty personal dramas are more important than not getting bitten. They keep splitting up and getting attacked.... Like seriously, how'd they make it this far?

The two supposedly bright characters really, really weren't. One was a bunch of ableist tropes (both mental and physical) in a man suit. The other? Was supposedly a scientist, but was only marginally brighter than the others. If this movie wasn't from the UK and six years old, I'd have thought he was a trump CDC political appointee. Like get this: They did mass inoculations of the military with an experimental vaccine they had not bothered to test for safety and efficacy. They had no tests to see if there were any side effects apparently before they lined them up and dosed them with the stuff. What could go wrong? Dude!

So I have to ask, how did someone with 45's level of mental impairment get put in charge of a biological warfare vaccine development program of this magnitude? How did he get the credentials to get hired? What muppet let him handle level four pathogens? Did not one person anywhere in the process suggest at least one proper phase 3 study?

And his decisions stopped making any sense at all once they ran into literal Sweet zombie Jesus. No really. There is a literal zombie Jesus and what little sense the character had in their heads falls right out along with the already minimal coherence to the plot.

I just can't with this film. I keep trying to work out what any of the characters were thinking or why they did any of the things they did and I can't. I still have no idea why zombie Jesus' powers worked the weird inconsistent way they did, just as I can't explain WTF they had a live action first person shooter style intro tacked on at the start of the movie and what if any information it was meant to convey.

They'd have been better off killing off these people as an intro and then made another better movie with characters that I actually wanted to watch doing things that made sense instead of bickering loudly to attract zombies and occasionally literally feeding themselves to zombies on purpose.

Do not watch Zombie Resurrection.

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

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gwydion: (Default)
2020-09-01 06:58 am

(no subject)

* "Mass protest keeps pressure on Belarus president:" https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53966004

* "Suspected poisoning of Putin critic was meant to kill him, not to scare him off, chief aide says:" https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/28/europe/navalny-aide-interview-intl/index.html

* "Ailing Abe quits as Japan PM as COVID-19 slams economy, key goals unmet:" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-politics-abe/ailing-abe-quits-as-japan-pm-as-covid-19-slams-economy-key-goals-unmet-idUSKBN25O00F

* "Delhi 2020 religious riots: Amnesty International accuses police of rights abuses:" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-asia-india-53891354

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* "Blood thinners reduce deaths among coronavirus patients, study finds:" https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/26/health/coronavirus-blood-thinners-mortality/index.html

* Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S.A for 8/31/20 are 6,024,000. The death toll is 184,000. The real number is likely much higher.

* "U.S. coronavirus cases pass 6 million:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/31/us-coronavirus-cases-pass-6m-406044

* Wow, Republicans are really all in on their plan to create "American carnage." "New Trump pandemic adviser pushes controversial ‘herd immunity’ strategy, worrying public health officials:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-coronavirus-scott-atlas-herd-immunity/2020/08/30/925e68fe-e93b-11ea-970a-64c73a1c2392_story.html

* "FDA commissioner says he's willing to fast-track coronavirus vaccine:" https://www.axios.com/fda-coronavirus-vaccine-fast-track-9c047fe0-a706-4c45-9e40-3ed6041c92ba.html

* "'I wouldn't recommend it for my patients': Dr. Roy criticizes FDA head willing to fast-track vaccine:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/-i-wouldn-t-recommend-it-for-my-patients-dr-roy-criticizes-fda-head-willing-to-fast-track-vaccine-90921029922

* "How Trump Sowed Covid Supply Chaos. ‘Try Getting It Yourselves.’:" https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-trump-sowed-covid-supply-chaos-try-getting-it-yourselves-11598893051?mod=djemalertNEWS

* "White House privately warned states of Covid-19 ‘red zone’ threat, records show:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/31/white-house-warned-red-zones-406211

* "Iowa Department of Public Health has been misreporting COVID-19 data for months:" https://www.newsbreak.com/news/coronavirus/2042650627143/iowa-department-of-public-health-has-been-misreporting-covid-19-data-for-months

* "‘Herman Cain’ Posts Tweet Saying Coronavirus Is Less Deadly Than Media Says, One Month After He Died of COVID:" https://www.thedailybeast.com/herman-cain-posts-tweet-saying-coronavirus-is-less-deadly-than-media-says-one-month-after-he-died-of-covid

* "My Husband Told Someone to Wear a Mask and Was Knocked Unconscious:" https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2020/8/30/my-husband-told-someone-wear-mask-and-was-knocked-unconscious

* "Homophobic group which thinks being gay causes ‘death and disease’ declared COVID-19 outbreak site:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/30/focus-on-the-family-homophobic-fundamentalist-christian-covid-19-outbreak-colorado/

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* "Trump Embraces Fringe Theories on Protests and the Coronavirus:" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/30/us/politics/trump-protests-violence-coronavirus.html

* "Mary Trump shares new recordings of Trump’s sister criticizing family:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/mary-trump-shares-new-recordings-of-trump-s-sister-criticizing-family-90817605975

* "White House covered up real reason for sudden Trump Walter Reed hospital visit: book:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/white-house-covered-up-real-reason-for-trump-hospital-visit-book-90934341798

* "Rosenstein secretly curtailed counterintelligence probe into Trump's Russia ties:" https://www.axios.com/rod-rosenstein-trump-russia-c005394f-1fc5-4097-9e1f-04b3c99b831f.html

* "How the counterintelligence investigation of Trump's ties to Russia disappeared:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/how-the-investigation-of-trump-s-ties-to-russia-disappeared-90930245911

* "Public misunderstanding of Mueller mission overlooks missing counterintelligence piece:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/public-misunderstanding-of-mueller-mission-ignores-missing-piece-90930245889

* "Michael Schmidt's new book details how Trump mulled "settling" with Mueller:" https://www.axios.com/trump-settling-mueller-russia-michael-schmidt-book-7f2ace16-01ae-4bc2-9854-158c468d9ede.html

* "Trump offered FBI director job to John Kelly if he pledged loyalty:" https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/30/politics/john-kelly-fbi-director-trump/index.html

* "New reporting on John Kelly and Donald Trump bolsters Comey claim of loyalty demand:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/new-john-kelly-reporting-bolsters-comey-claim-of-loyalty-demand-90932293608

* "Leaked McGahn memo reveals alarms about Kushner's top-secret security clearance:" https://www.axios.com/jared-kushner-security-clearance-mcgahn-ecca918e-2685-473a-9504-cd412da301bf.html

* "Court dismisses House lawsuit seeking to enforce a subpoena of former White House counsel Donald McGahn:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/court-dismisses-house-lawsuit-seeking-to-enforce-a-subpoena-of-former-white-house-counsel-donald-mcgahn/2020/08/31/c693ad3e-ebaf-11ea-ab4e-581edb849379_story.html

* "Appeals court deals setback to Flynn’s attempt to end DOJ case against him:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/31/judge-can-move-forward-with-flynn-hearing-appeals-court-says-406066

* "Voice of America Journalists: New CEO Endangers Reporters, Harms U.S. Aims:" https://www.npr.org/2020/08/31/907764105/voice-of-america-journalists-new-ceo-endangers-reporters-harms-u-s-aims

* "Daughter of hate preacher Franklin Graham continues family legacy with deeply transphobic Republican convention speech:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/26/cissie-graham-lynch-franklin-daughter-homophobia-transphobia-republican-national-convention/

* I particularly resent someone who describes literal NAZIs as "very fine people" using music by a Jewish artist against the will of his estate to glorify himself. "Leonard Cohen's Estate Blasts Trump's Use of 'Hallelujah':" https://www.advocate.com/politics/2020/8/28/leonard-cohens-estate-blasts-trumps-use-hallelujah

* "Joy Reid on Trump: ‘America has no king, America needs no king’:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/joy-reid-on-trump-america-has-no-king-america-needs-no-king-90819141546

* "N.Y.C. Tenants Say They Were Tricked Into Appearing in R.N.C. Video:" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/nyregion/nyc-tenants-rnc-video-trump.html

* "Chad Wolf says he didn’t know naturalization ceremony would be seen at convention:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/30/chad-wolf-naturalization-republican-convention-405214

* "‘He slapped science right in the face’: Pelosi on Trump’s maskless RNC crowd:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/-he-slapped-science-right-in-the-face-pelosi-on-trump-s-maskless-rnc-crowd-90924101876

* "‘Canyon of danger’: Hayes on Trump stoking chaos as reelection strategy:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/-canyon-of-danger-hayes-on-trump-stoking-chaos-as-reelection-strategy-90925637667

* "Biden rips Trump as a president who ‘sows chaos’:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/31/biden-speech-rips-trump-chaos-406118

* "Dems outraged as Trump administration scales back election security briefings:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/29/odni-to-scale-back-election-security-briefings-404919

* "Brennan ‘worried about what Trump plans’ with DNI no longer briefing Congress on election security:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/brennan-worried-about-what-trump-plans-with-dni-no-longer-briefing-congress-on-election-security-90922565876

* "Oversight panel set to subpoena DeJoy amid clash over Postal Service:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/31/oversight-panel-subpoena-dejoy-406100

* "Trump, Portland mayor blame each other after deadly shooting:" https://apnews.com/6706c916dc6a156b9847baca437a91de

* "Defying local leaders, Trump declares he will still visit Kenosha:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/31/trump-defying-visit-kenosha-405944

* "Trump escalates war of words with Biden over civil rights protests – as it happened:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/aug/31/trump-threats-portland-kenosha-visit-blm-protests-biden-election-live-latest-news-updates

* "Sen. Murphy reacts to Trump's defense of teen charged with killing two protesters in Kenosha:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/sen-murphy-reacts-to-trump-defending-17-year-old-who-killed-2-protesters-90925637818

* "A Kenosha Militia Facebook Event Asking Attendees To Bring Weapons Was Reported 455 Times. Moderators Said It Didn’t Violate Any Rules.:" https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/kenosha-militia-facebook-reported-455-times-moderators

* "Jacob Blake Sr: I want the officers fired, there was attempted murder on my son:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/jacob-blake-sr-i-want-the-officers-fired-there-was-attempted-murder-on-my-son-90818117999

* "The Life Breonna Taylor Lived, in the Words of Her Mother:" https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2020/08/breonna-taylor

* "Ta-Nehisi: ‘Breonna Taylor is going to happen again’ until things change systemically:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/ta-nehisi-breonna-taylor-is-going-to-happen-again-until-things-change-systemically-90822725616

* "Ta-Nehisi: We must understand George Floyd, Breonna Taylor were human lives taken:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/ta-nehisi-we-must-understand-george-floyd-breonna-taylor-were-human-lives-taken-90822725508

* "Trans woman sues jail after she was placed in a men’s facility, deadnamed by staff, and denied her vital hormone treatment:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/29/trans-woman-jail-lawsuit-pinellas-florida-facility-deadname-hormone-treatment-misgender-karla-bello/

* "‘Gender critical’ activists with ‘I heart JK Rowling’ banner mock Black Lives Matter protesters in ugly confrontation:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/31/gender-critical-posie-parker-jk-rowling-banner-black-lives-matter-protesters-transphobia/

* "All LGBTQ+ People Should Stand in Solidarity With Black Athletes:" https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2020/8/28/all-lgbtq-people-should-stand-support-black-athletes

* "Activists sue Trump administration for scrapping data on LGBT+ and American Indian youth in foster care:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/30/trump-foster-system-data-lgbt-american-indian-youth-lawsuit-hhs-lambda-legal/

* "Student goes viral after drowning out homophobic, racist demonstrator with his trombone:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/29/trombone-homophobic-racist-demonstrator-freshman-university-south-carolina-black-lives-matter-trey-hogan-trombro/

* "Black Homeowners Face Discrimination in Appraisals:" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/25/realestate/blacks-minorities-appraisals-discrimination.html

* "Racism has shaped public transit, and it’s riddled with inequities:" https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/2020/08/24/transportation-racism-has-shaped-public-transit-america-inequalities

* "‘Certain streets are designed to kill’: How U.S. roadways target minorities and the poor:" https://www.fastcompany.com/90543235/certain-streets-are-designed-to-kill-how-u-s-roadways-target-minorities-and-the-poor

* "Yale Law Professor Jed Rubenfeld Suspended for Sexual Harassment:" https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/08/yale-professor-jed-rubenfeld-suspended-for-sexual-harassment.html

* "Freshers who hurled homophobic slurs in LSE group chat ‘thought it would be bants’:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/29/lse-freshers-london-economics-homophobic-slurs-group-chat-bants-banter-twitter/

* "Dad reacted horribly when his gay son came out and was racist about his boyfriend. Years later, he wants to make things right:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/29/deidre-sanders-the-sun-advice-columnist-dad-son-coming-out-gay/

* "Closeted married man brutally beaten and threatened with exposure after gay dating app hook-up goes horribly wrong:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/31/india-pune-married-man-beaten-robbed-gay-dating-app-hook-up-sex/

* "Anti-Trans School Restroom Policies Unconstitutional, Court Rules:" https://www.advocate.com/transgender/2020/8/26/anti-trans-school-restroom-policies-unconstitutional-court-rules

* "In Gay We Trust: How Do We Tackle PTSD In The LGBTQ+ Community?:" https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2020/9/01/gay-we-trust-how-do-we-tackle-ptsd-lgbtq-community

* "Queer People And The Effects of 'Doom Scrolling':" https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/2020/8/31/queer-people-and-effects-doom-scrolling

* "They Know How to Prevent Megafires. Why Won’t Anybody Listen?:" https://www.propublica.org/article/they-know-how-to-prevent-megafires-why-wont-anybody-listen

* "Another fierce hurricane, 15 years after Katrina, shows who really pays the price:" https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/30/opinions/hurricane-laura-hurricane-katrina-15-anniversary-climate-justice-russell/index.html

* "Everything Is Unprecedented. Welcome To Your Hotter Earth:" https://www.npr.org/2020/08/28/905622947/everything-is-unprecedented-welcome-to-your-hotter-earth

* "U.S. Flood Strategy Shifts to ‘Unavoidable’ Relocation of Entire Neighborhoods:" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/26/climate/flooding-relocation-managed-retreat.html

* "The Republican National Convention 2020: Day Four:"

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* "Covid Loves College:"

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* "After Four Nights Of Nonsense At The RNC, We're Getting Off This Emotional Roller Coaster:"

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* "Steve Bannon's Sham Border Wall Charity Tried Raising Money Off Of Stephen Colbert's Good Name:"

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* Sunday I had the shakes, which is a thing that happens when my body is under stress, which it is between the virulent lung infection and the new antibiotic ducking it out. I keep having to lie down. Tavy wanted me ho hold him up for a really long love and I thought, "We could do this lying down. so i carried him into the bedroom with me, a pan to which he vociferously objected, but he didn't jump off. he had a brief altercation with the Empress after his pettin, then retreated to the safety shelf, which I have established as a no competition zone. (A cat can sit there and be left entirely alone while hanging out with the clowder.) Eventually he started wandering around the shelving and i came back out to try to do some work before the next dizzy spell. They were both still in there an hour later, so i'm calling it a win. He'll be a lot happier if he can sleep with the clowder.

* Me: Wow! Why is so and so suddenly so hot?
A minute later: Wait, let me google something.
30 Seconds later: Duh! They turned thirty 2-3ish years ago.

Yes, too young for me Rl, but just old enough to ping my radar.

* The judgements section of this one made me laugh so hard I needed medication. "The Saga of Hen-Thorir:" https://sagathingpodcast.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/episode-6-the-saga-of-hen-thorir/

* "The Adult Actors Who Play Movie Teens, by the Numbers:" https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/8/28/21405196/adult-actors-playing-teen-analysis

* "Resurfaced medieval tale has the most incredible queer plot twist – and historians say there are many more where it came from:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/30/medieval-tale-gay-lgbt-love-story-twelfth-century-ireland-lesbian-lover-baby-king/

* "Bro, This Is Not The 'Beowulf' You Think You Know:" https://www.npr.org/2020/08/27/906423831/bro-this-is-not-the-beowulf-you-think-you-know

* "Disney Princess Cakes For Grown-Ups:" https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2020/8/30/disney-princess-cakes-for-grown-ups

* Delightful! (SF story) "A Guide for Working Breeds:" https://www.tor.com/2020/03/17/a-guide-for-working-breeds-vina-jie-min-prasad/

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

Links Underneath: )
gwydion: (Default)
2020-08-09 06:10 am

(no subject)

* "More than 10,000 join peaceful anti-Netanyahu protest in Jerusalem, for fourth week in a row:" https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-thousands-in-jerusalem-for-anti-netanyahu-demo-protesters-allegedly-attacked-1.9057410

* Well, fuck. "Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa brothers strengthen grip in landslide election win:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/07/sri-lankas-rajapaksa-brothers-strengthen-grip-in-landslide-election-win

* "Macron promises help, Beirut residents vent fury at leaders:" https://apnews.com/9d10149b5d5f3e0e837edd6d5a8e0d8f

* "Indian Ocean island nation Mauritius scrambles to counter oil spill from grounded tanker:" https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-mauritius-indian-oil-spill-20200808-qhoekdvajnbtre6dk4qtduixuu-story.html

* "Nearly 40% of A-level result predictions to be downgraded in England:" https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/aug/07/a-level-result-predictions-to-be-downgraded-england

The plan is to institutionalize wealth and social inequalities by over riding teacher assessments in favor of a percentage system that harms students from less privileged backgrounds.

Look, I’m American, but I furious on behalf of both teachers and students. They are not treating these teachers like professionals who know their kids and how to do their jobs. They are fucking over students for classicist bullshit reasons, and none of it takes into account natural variation

And seriously, I've DONE grading for kinds who missed a portion of the term. you just use the grades you have. It's not that hard. Like you can't reasonably penalize a kid because their parents moved during term. Teachers know how to do this.

Grading on a curve based on three years previous performance? A, not a big enough sample size, and B institutionalizes inequalities and punishes kids on the bubble. Also, in real life out in the field, you get better and worse years. One class will randomly have 10 kids with serious intellectuals challenges and an extra dollop of asshole kids, or a toxic combination of personalities. Another class will get an extra helping of gifted or just a magic social dynamic.

There is shit you can't predict, like that one kid with learning disabilities who happened to look like Peeta in the Hunger Games movies (Which weren’t out yet, but that’s pretty much what he looked like only younger) in the 8th grade I student taught who was sweet and charismatic and the bright girls all took turns tutoring him so he was performing above what you'd expect even on stuff he did completely independently, or that kid with learning disabilities and massive executive function stuff who really loved his paper topic and worked incredibly hard on it and pulled out a grade in spring in English that might have looked like cheating compared to previous terms, but I was literally standing right there when he wrote it. Statistics can't account for me randomly being really into Latin senior year and getting near perfect scores on every test because I finally got a teacher I liked enough to actually work for instead of resist.

Using statistics leaves out the chance of the exceptional and punishes middle of the road kids who really pulled out the stops for whatever reason. Maybe they randomly got a higher percentage of kids who were really good at math or extra motivated for some reason this year.

My entire grade was notoriously nightmarish for every teacher we hit. We had an above average level of assholes and future sociopaths and they'd work together to torment teachers in often creative and psychologically adept ways. (Not me personally, but my grade in aggregate). As a group we caused several nervous breakdowns and drove several people out of the teaching profession entirely. Our grades weren't average either because, you know massive disruption. We also had a lot of kids with trauma (see assholes and future sociopaths and add in some incredibly psychologically abusive stuff from staff, targeted at already traumatized or marginalized kids). There was a ton of attrition in grades 4-9 because of mental health stuff, as in kids being pulled out for health and safety reasons sent to less traumatic and violent prep school. Would it be fair to judge the grade ahead or behind based on my classes scores? Would it be fair to average all three of those grade sets and impose a curve based on them on the grade below them?

Statistical average doesn't prove individual performance.

Or maybe,just maybe, we should just the fuck give kids a break because there's a fucking pandemic on.

* I've been watching the latest row between UK andfrance over refugees, and I have to admit, in France's place I'd be very tempted to step down patrols to rescue missions only. <.< >.>

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* "How a Popular Medical Device Encodes Racial Bias:" https://bostonreview.net/science-nature-race/amy-moran-thomas-how-popular-medical-device-encodes-racial-bias

* "There Is Little Evidence That Mass Transit Poses a Risk of Coronavirus Outbreaks:" https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/there-is-little-evidence-that-mass-transit-poses-a-risk-of-coronavirus-outbreaks/

* "India passes two million Covid-19 cases:" https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53674857

* "Fauci says he'll repeat the importance of public health principles 'until I'm exhausted':" https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/07/health/us-coronavirus-friday/index.html

* Republicans continue to insist that slowing testing deliberately is the right thing to do as if you don't test for Covid you don't have cases, much in the way if you don't test for cancer no one gets it and if you don't take a pregnancy test you can't get pregnant. "Virus testing in the US is dropping, even as deaths mount:" https://apnews.com/aebdc0978de958f20ab3f398cdf6f769

* "Ben Rhodes: Trump ‘literally withdrew us from the rest of the world’ with WHO decision:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/ben-rhodes-trump-literally-withdrew-us-from-the-rest-of-the-world-with-who-decision-89678917541

* "‘Like a Horror Movie’: A Small Border Hospital Battles the Coronavirus:" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/us/texas-coronavirus-rio-grande-valley-starr-county.html

* "'We are no less American': Deaths pile up on Texas border:" https://apnews.com/c5da90cb311e320d9ece7310b4fe257e

* "He fled Congo to work in a U.S. meat plant. Then he — and hundreds of his co-workers — got the coronavirus.:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/he-fled-the-congo-to-work-in-a-us-meat-plant-then-he--and-hundreds-of-his-co-workers--got-the-coronavirus/2020/08/06/11e7e13e-c526-11ea-8ffe-372be8d82298_story.html

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* "TikTok threatens legal action against Trump executive order:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/07/tiktok-trump-executive-order-392558

* "Trump advisers hesitated to give military options and warned adversaries over fears he might start a war:" https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/06/politics/trump-advisers-fears-military-options/index.html

* "Pompeo Warned Russia Against Bounties on U.S. Troops in Afghanistan:" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/world/asia/pompeo-russia-afghanistan-bounties.html

* "Appeals court rules for U.S. House over subpoena for ex-White House lawyer:" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-trump-idUSKCN25326S

* "Covid-19 Pandemic Triggers Wave of Long-Term Unemployment:" https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-pandemic-triggers-wave-of-long-term-unemployment-11596817137?mod=hp_lead_pos5

* "Queer Black Americans have taken a ‘disproportionate’ financial hit during COVID-19 by every measure:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/07/black-lgbt-covid-19-americans-disproportionate-economic-impact-coronavirus-pandemic-report-human-rights-campaign/

* "James Carville on Trump deferring payroll tax to next year: Not very good policy, a lot of people not on a payroll:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/james-carville-on-trump-deferring-payroll-tax-to-next-year-not-very-good-policy-a-lot-of-people-not-on-a-payroll-89751109777

* I don't understand how he has the power to do that. I thought the Congress was the only branch empowered by the constitutions to make appropriations. "Coronavirus relief package talks stall; Trump might use executive actions to bypass congress:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/07/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/

* "Bennet Statement Following President Trump’s Inadequate Executive Orders to Extend COVID-19 Economic Relief:" https://www.bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?id=5E7FC20B-13A0-47FE-BA67-7E78FA9E396F

* "Facebook Fired An Employee Who Collected Evidence Of Right-Wing Pages Getting Preferential Treatment:" https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-zuckerberg-what-if-trump-disputes-election-results

* "Russian anti-Biden election interference finds ready conduit in Republican senators:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/russian-election-interference-finds-ready-conduit-in-gop-senators-89763397688

* "Sam Seder: Trump flails for reelection strategy after Plan A falls apart:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/sam-seder-trump-flails-for-reelection-strategy-after-plan-a-falls-apart-89756229774

* "Trump campaign reportedly considering whether to weaponise transphobia to save the president’s flailing re-election bid:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/07/donald-trump-campaign-november-election-weaponise-transgender-rights-lgbt/

* "Postal Service overhauls leadership as Democrats press for investigation of mail delays:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/07/postal-service-investigation-dejoy/

* "Postal Workers Union head confirms slowdown of postal service:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/postal-workers-union-head-confirms-slowdown-of-postal-service-89754181966

* "Hybrid Schooling May Be the Most Dangerous Option of All:" https://www.wired.com/story/hybrid-schooling-is-the-most-dangerous-option-of-all/

* This is going to be incredibly deadly. "Cuomo OKs New York schools for in-person instruction:" https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2020/08/07/cuomo-oks-new-york-schools-for-in-person-instruction-1305884

* "Virus keeps spreading as schools begin to open, frightening parents and alarming public health officials:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/virus-keeps-spreading-as-schools-begin-to-open-frightening-parents-and-alarming-public-health-officials/2020/08/06/7ef4f362-d80d-11ea-930e-d88518c57dcc_story.html

* "Health directors told to keep quiet as Fla. leaders pressed to reopen classrooms:" https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200807/health-directors-told-to-keep-quiet-as-fla-leaders-pressed-to-reopen-classrooms

* "Charles Booker: We are dealing with the trauma of gun violence as a public health crisis:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/charles-booker-we-are-dealing-with-the-trauma-of-gun-violence-as-a-public-health-crisis-89680453861

* CW: Dead Animals "VULTURES, FORENSICS, & BORDER POLICY: Why Migrant Bodies Disappear:"

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* "Brittany Gilliam, handcuffed with kids by Aurora Police, says their apology is ‘not good enough’:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/brittany-gilliam-handcuffed-with-kids-by-aurora-police-says-their-apology-is-not-good-enough-89679941752

* "Breonna Taylor warrant was part of gentrification scheme, attorneys say:" https://www.ajc.com/news/breonna-taylor-warrant-was-part-gentrification-scheme-attorneys-say/gWlfh0zwq84wL0AshqizmM/

* "Joy on 'pig laws': ‘The rot from slavery is still with us in a thousand different ways’:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/joy-on-pig-laws-the-rot-from-slavery-is-still-with-us-in-a-thousand-different-ways-89751621631

* CW: Rape "E. Jean Carroll, Who Accused Trump of Rape, Can Go Forward With Suit:" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/nyregion/jean-caroll-donald-trump-lawsuit-rape.html

* "Satanic Temple says religious freedoms exempt abortion rights from state laws:" https://kutv.com/news/nation-world/satanic-temps-says-religious-freedoms-exempt-abortion-rights-from-state-laws

* "Terrified queer Poles are fleeing the country as homophobic president Andrzej Duda is sworn in for second term:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/06/poland-president-andrzej-duda-swearing-in-homophobia-lgbt-rights-same-sex-marriage-family/

* "‘Violent and homophobic’ cyclists threaten same-sex couple simply for asking them not to use a private lane:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/08/homophobic-hate-crime-rothwell-caistor-west-yorkshire-cyclists-queer-couple/

* Looks like William is really putting the "Shat" in Shatner yet again. Bonus points for making our lives all about him.

* "Autism Tropes in Media:"

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* "Devastating impact of lockdown on LGBT+ mental health laid bare as study reveals seven in 10 are suffering from depression:" https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/08/lgbt-mental-health-lockdown-queeratine-study-university-college-london-sussex/

* "The (Real) Delusion That You're a Corpse:"

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* "'I'm not Batman': Libertarian presidential candidate makes light of bat bite:" https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/08/jo-jorgensen-bat-bite-libertarian-392698

* CW: Dead People, Body Horror, Dissection. "A Brief History of the Dead in Art:"

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* "ICONIC CORPSE- Warrior Women Scorned!:"

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* "The Mask Slackers of 1918:" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/us/mask-protests-1918.html

* This is even faster than that time a new character was so obnoxious we hunted and killed him about an hour in: https://gwydionmisha.tumblr.com/post/625855710003118080

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

* Want to help people in Beirut? https://karolinadeaen.tumblr.com/post/625576504313741312

* Organizations to help trans folk: https://gwydionmisha.tumblr.com/post/620857152453640195/about-us

* "How to Safely and Ethically Film Police Misconduct:" https://www.teenvogue.com/story/how-to-film-police-safely

* Master Post for how to help organizations fighting Police violence: https://gwydionmisha.tumblr.com/post/620861026680881152/oberynmartell-list-of-black-lives-matter-and

* How to donate to Doctors Without Borders: https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/onetime.cfm?source=ADD200U0U00&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=googlepaid&utm_content=brand&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz8D9kYu46QIVqh6tBh2WogxQEAAYASAAEgK4FfD_BwE

* "More on the Mashpee Wampanoag Reservation and Reaffirmation Act:" https://amaebi.dreamwidth.org/1769250.html

* "Covid 19 Support for Indigenous Communities:" https://bibliomancer7.tumblr.com/post/616704253038395392/covid-19-support-for-indigenous-communities

* "Navajo Nation COVID-19 Relief Fund:" http://www.nndoh.org/donate.html

* "NYSCI has a set of activities and resources up on their website:" https://conuly.dreamwidth.org/2999942.html

* "How to Help Librarians and Archivists From Your Living Room:" https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/archives-to-browse-from-home

* "Free Meals:" https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/food/free-meals

* "Learning Through Play: 101 Ways To Keep Young Minds Occupied At Home:" https://www.marksdailyapple.com/importance-of-play/

* Free lessons: https://www.mybluprint.com/

* CDC Foundation: https://www.cdcfoundation.org/give/ways-to-give

* "SUPPORT WORKERS IN CRISIS:" https://ofwemergencyfund.org/

* "Make to Give - Support Our Medical Personnel:" https://www.joann.com/make-to-give-response/

* "Snopes on COVID-19 Fact-Checking:" https://www.snopes.com/2020/03/20/snopes-on-covid-19-fact-checking/

* "Help the California food industry survive this crisis:" https://www.change.org/p/governor-gavin-newsom-support-the-california-food-industries-most-vulnerable-workers

* "Support Artists Impacted By the Covid-19 Pandemic:" https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/bandcamp-covid-19-fundraiser

* Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

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

* The Indivisble guide exists to help you organize effective resistance: https://indivisible.org/

* Here’s a list of vulnerable republican senators up for election this year:

Martha McSally - Arizona
Susan Collins - Maine
Cory Gardner - Colorado
Thom Tillis - North Carolina
Pat Roberts - Kansas
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler - Georgia
Joni Ernst - Iowa

Here’s a list of vulnerable democratic senators that NEED votes to keep their seats:

Doug Jones - Alabama
Gary Peters - Michigan

* Want to get rid of Mitch McConnell? Help Amy McGrath: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mcgrath2020-dd-om-gsearch?utm_source=g&utm_medium=om&utm_campaign=dd&utm_content=om_g_dd_20190709_g-dd-namenat-search_namedon-nat_amosdn&refcode=om_g_dd_20190709_g-dd-namenat-search_namedon-nat_amosdn&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5IL1uLKa6gIVcz2tBh1njwpEEAAYASAAEgLCYvD_BwE

* Want to get rid of Lindsey Graham? Help Jaime Harrison: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_harrison_fr_q12019_jaime-a?refcode=MS_AD_D-DD_2019.03.08_X_GG_KW__X__eyJjcmVhdGl2ZSI6IkFkZCBEb25hdGlvbiBOb3ciLCJhdWRpZW5jZSI6IkphaW1lSGFycmlzb24ifQ&recurring=TRUE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn4a_583I5gIVC8RkCh0MowFeEAAYASAAEgIXZfD_BwE

* There's a decent chance of flipping this Senate seat blue. Want to help? https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ads-mek-egsearch_dtd?refcode=ads-200108-gs-evergreensearch-dtd-natl-mix-8753679275-87807510469-410037583123-%2Bmark%20%2Bkelly%20%2Bdonate&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpKSR192K5wIVAsNkCh0EeAFSEAAYASAAEgLY7fD_BwE

* Want to help Ritchie Torres beat a homophobe in New York? https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dkendorsestorres?refcode=20200605fpdn1mid

* Want to help Doug Jones defend his seat against a Trumpist homophobe? https://secure.actblue.com/donate/stand-with-doug?refcode=gaa1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx8n4rdfT6gIVvxitBh0BfQmNEAAYASAAEgJSwfD_BwE

* Want to help Sara Gideon unseat Susan Collins? https://secure.actblue.com/donate/adopt-me-dem-susan-collins-seat

* Have something you want to tell your Congress Critters? If you can not protest 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.

This App phones your rep for you: http://takeastance.us/

Here is one that will send your reps a fax: https://resistbot.io/

* Some RL friends of mine who were barely scraping by just lost one of the part time jobs they collectively hold and it's really fucking things up for them. These are good people, who do so much for others. Want to help? https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-a-gig-worker-get-through-the-winter/share

* "Keep Me Safe! Help me get a gate organized by Briel Moore:" https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-me-safe-help-me-get-a-gate?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet+expWdV

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

* If you are interested in helping, right now the Cat thing we need most is:
https://www.chewy.com/wellness-core-signature-selects/dp/147047

The dry food I was going to try is this one: https://www.chewy.com/blue-buffalo-wilderness-flatland/dp/176663

* Birthday/Solstice master list: https://gwydion.dreamwidth.org/2108835.html