Reading

Fast update

Yeah, I keep saying that, and it's never true.

Sunday night I had APPETITE. Like everything came roaring back in a way that, looking back, I can't remember for at least a couple years.

Monday I did ( insert medical activities here )

Then we went and got brunch at a decent deli conveniently located across the street from the doctor (I'd gotten takeaway from there before so already knew their latkes are GF and amazing; that no nightshades thing, I admit, goes out the window but what's with the thimbles of sour cream and applesauce?). Then to a Goodwill we'd seen a while back right near The Grove (our ostensible next destination) but we got glass so it was "book a Lyft to the Grove with a stop at home in the entirely opposite direction to drop that all off plus rollator". Then to The Grove, where much shopping and dining occurred (e.g., I have been missing having TY cards, stationery, etc. and lo, a Barnes and Noble appeared unto them).

Home more than 12 hours after we left. Certain parts of my body were more pleased about that than others but what struck me most was that I felt tired but not wiped out, and certainly not anemic. So I thought GREAT! I must be around 13. Apparently not, as the number was 12.1.

Yesterday was surgery. Lunch at deli again though body - which had been ALL PROTEIN ALL THE TIME - morphed into "Carbs and salad please!". I was stunned I wanted food at all, much less I was awake enough to eat but man, normalcy is my body's reaction to shock; collapse after. So slept at home then was awake but no brain.

Today I think is Wednesday Farmers Market and Capital One Café to deposit a check that I really would prefer go physically. Then post-surgical appointment including MLD and some wrapping. Then home to fall over.

Onwards.

7/18/25 - 7/20/25

* News keeps moving fast, so some items may be already out of date. I am trying to post more of the less urgent items, but the back log is rather large. Apologies.

* "Israeli strike hits Gaza church, killing 3 and wounding priest who was close to Pope Francis:" https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-airstrikes-catholic-church-3a53c46a464a7ef9d7123bdea6996d8a

******

* "Childhood shaped by war for two Ukrainian brothers:" https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/ukraine-crisis-children-kalynove/

* "When the beacon goes dark: How U.S. regression on social stances fuels global repression:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/when-the-beacon-goes-dark-how-u-s-regression-on-social-stances-fuels-global-repression

* "President Trump’s threat to fire Fed Chair sparks outcry, concern:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/-president-trump-s-threat-to-fire-fed-chair-sparks-outcry-concern-243520581987

* Cruelty is the point. "US aid workers lobbied for weeks to save food stocks from destruction after Trump cuts:" https://archive.ph/scxyV

* "The Message Is ‘We Can Take Your Children’:" https://archive.ph/gf8I7

* "Michigan AG Nessel challenges funding halt for legal services of unaccompanied immigrant children:" https://www.wlns.com/top-stories/michigan-ag-nessel-challenges-funding-halt-for-legal-services-of-unaccompanied-immigrant-children/

* "Trump Launches Attack on Refugee Women:" https://cgrs.uclawsf.edu/news/trump-launches-attack-refugee-women

* "'Families ripped apart': the impact of Trump's immigration crackdown on children:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/-families-ripped-apart-the-impact-of-trump-s-immigration-crackdown-on-children-243521093606

* He was a refugee because he wasn't safe in Venezuela. He's certainly not safe in CECOT. "BREAKING: Andry Hernández Romero, gay asylum seeker disappeared by Trump, part of prisoner swap:" https://www.advocate.com/news/andry-hernandez-romero-released-venezuela

* "Gay asylum seeker Andry Hernández Romero remains in danger, advocates warn:" https://www.advocate.com/news/andry-hernandez-romero-cecot-free

* "Trump and Bondi want to turn Alcatraz back into a prison. Here’s the poop problem:" https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/alcatraz-trump-reopen-wastewater-20774648.php

* "Trump's new Alcatraz could cost $2 billion:" https://www.axios.com/2025/07/18/trump-alcatraz-prison-cost-2-billion

* "Alligator Alcatraz Detainees Reveal Chaotic Conditions:" https://www.newsweek.com/alligator-alcatraz-immigration-florida-everglades-conditions-2100823

* "A Pattern of Violence:" https://theintercept.com/2025/07/07/ice-raids-la-violence-video-bystanders/

* "Trump’s National Guard Troops Are Questioning Their Mission in L.A.:" https://archive.ph/faB77

* "'Embarrassingly wasteful': Trump's National Guard stunt in L.A. shown to be pointless and expensive:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/-embarrassingly-wasteful-trump-s-national-guard-stunt-in-l-a-shown-to-be-pointless-and-expensive-243506757970

* "Journalists among at least 13 arrested during immigration-related protest in Cincinnati:" https://apnews.com/article/immigration-protest-cincinnati-arrests-hospital-chaplain-8cce0f80673ba54fc48fd660f2e4dc0f

* Here are some ways to help Immigrants and the anti-ICE Protesters:

Immigrant Defenders: https://give.immdef.org/give/545119/#!/donation/checkout
The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/
National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/nbfn-directory
Amnesty International: protect asylum-seekers: https://donate.amnestyusa.org/page/113080/donate/1
The Young Center for Immigtrant Children's Rights: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/
CHIRLA: https://www.chirla.org/
AL Otro Lado: https://alotrolado.networkforgood.com/projects/63833-al-otro-lado-fund
Mid-South Immigration Advocates: https://miamemphis.org/
"Know Your Rights:" https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights

* "The Supreme Court’s Power Grab Under Trump:" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-supreme-courts-power-grab-under-trump/id1382983397?i=1000717299399

* "Appreciate your sex—or else: The Supreme Court’s strange new commandment:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/appreciate-your-sex-or-else-the-supreme-courts-strange-new-commandment

* "Florida officials claim SCOTUS ruling allows them to deny trans adults health care:" https://www.advocate.com/news/florida-trans-healthcare

* "Transgender attorney who argued before Supreme Court explains why it was ‘my nightmare’:" https://www.advocate.com/news/chase-strangio-heightened-scrutiny-documentary

* ""Religious Parents Are Special" --Supreme Court:"

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* "What You’ve Suspected Is True: Billionaires Are Not Like Us:" https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/billionaires-psychology-tech-politics-1235358129/

* "They tried Made in the USA. It was too expensive for their customers:" https://archive.ph/t3Gsz/again?url=https://www.reuters.com/business/they-tried-made-usa-it-was-too-expensive-their-customers-2025-07-02/

* "Kyla Scanlon – “In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really Work” | The Daily Show:"

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* "What Medicaid and SNAP cuts mean for LGBTQ+ people:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/medicaid-snap-lgbtq

* "Waffler and coward Josh Hawley runs away — again — from a problem he helped create:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/josh-hawley-runs-from-problems

* "A casket protest: Tennessee congressional members draw demonstrations against 'Big, Beautiful Bill':" https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/14/big-beautiful-bill-healthcare-impact-memphis-tennessee-protests/85191369007/

* "Demonstrators protest SNAP, Medicaid cuts in front of Capito’s Charleston, WV office:" https://westvirginiawatch.com/2025/07/14/demonstrators-protest-snap-medicaid-cuts-in-front-of-capitos-charleston-wv-office/

* "Congress rolls back $9 billion in public media funding and foreign aid:" https://www.npr.org/2025/07/18/nx-s1-5469912/npr-congress-rescission-funding-trump

* RE: SAVE ACT "Do This Today: Call Senators:" https://solarbird.dreamwidth.org/2036106.html

If these are your Senators, please stop what you are doing and call now:

KELLY (AZ)
WARNOCK (GA)
PETERS (MI)
SHAHEEN (NH)
HASSAN (NH)
CORTEZ MASTO (NV)
ROSEN (NV)

* This one is a super dangerous attack on the judiciary's ability to protect citizen's rights. "H.R. 1526: NORRA of 2025:" https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr1526

* "Two Wisconsin congressmen clash in front of cameras during U.S. Capitol confrontation:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/mark-pocan-derrick-van-orden

* "As Trump faces escalating Epstein scandal, Marjorie Taylor Green targets drag queens:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-jeffrey-epstein

* Our job for the next year and a half is to survive, to build grassroots resistance, to do all in our power to slow the republican Christo-fascist agenda, and to prepare for 2026 in case there is still Democracy.

We are trying to build a good list of resistance resources.

Please add more below if you have them.

* "Take action with Indivisible:" https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/

* Trump 2.0 Indivisible Guide. https://indivisible.org/resource/guide

* "Democracy 2025:" https://www.democracy2025.org/?utm_source=df-ad&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=21912407002&utm_content=721373734297&source=df-ad-gs&gad_source=1

* "Resisting Fascism in 2025 and Beyond:" https://www.prideandpagesbookclub.com/resisting-fascism-in-2025-and-beyond

* If you can't safely contact them in person, here are some other options for contacting your Congress Critters:

Five Calls to your critters: https://5calls.org/

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

And another: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

Snail Mail Campaigns: https://conuly.dreamwidth.org/3622760.html

"Congress. gov:" https://www.congress.gov/

White house (Possibly Dangerous): https://www.whitehouse.gov/

ACLU advice for writing to your Critters: https://www.aclu.org/writing-your-elected-representatives

This tracks legislation: https://www.govtrack.us/

"The Public Comment Process (+ how to write effective public comments):" https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/781844516804149248?source=share

Run for Something: https://runforsomething.net/

"Vote Smart:" https://justfacts.votesmart.org/

Useful organizing links and resources: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/771859083592613888/hater-of-terfs-ive-already-reblogged-a-link-to?source=share

Protests: "50501 Events:" https://www.fiftyfifty.one/events

How to render emergency aid in a riot: https://riotmedicine.net/static/downloads/riot-medicine_a5.pdf

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

"ICE Raids Toolkit: Defend Against ICE Raids and Community Arrests:" https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/raids-toolkit/

Contains a raid tip hotline amoung other things. "Know Your Rights
LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY:" https://wearecasa.org/know-your-rights/

* "Gavin Newsom agrees with anti-trans talking points on yet another MAGA podcast:" https://www.advocate.com/news/newsom-shawn-ryan-podcast

* "Jeopardy!'s Ken Jennings won't support Gavin Newsom for president due to trans kids stance:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/gavin-newsom-ken-jennings

* "Breaking: Puerto Rico's governor just signed one of the harshest gender-affirming care laws yet:" https://www.advocate.com/news/puerto-rico-gender-affirming-care

* "Iowa's first female governor signs law that will set women back:" https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/06/18/iowas-first-female-governor-signs-law-that-will-set-women-back/

* "Texas Legislature passes laws strengthening campus protest rules, allowing citizens to be labeled foreign actors:" https://prismreports.org/2025/07/15/texas-laws-strengthen-campus-protest-rules-open-door-to-foreign-actors-label/

"Texas quietly passed two laws this past spring that appear to strengthen the state’s ability to arrest and detain pro-Palestine protesters on U.S. college campuses and name citizens as foreign actors. The 600 bills Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law include a cluster of bills targeting citizens from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, such as HB 127 and SB 1349, which will both take effect on Sept. 1."

* "This Republican governor vetoed anti-LGBTQ+ book ban and bathroom bills:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/nh-governor-vetoes-far-right

* "Florida Republican official suspended for social posts mocking Pulse murder victims:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/florida-republican-pulse-mocking-victims

* "The People Search Sites in the Suspected Minnesota Killer's Notebook Are a Failure of Congress:" https://www.404media.co/the-people-search-sites-in-the-suspected-minnesota-killers-notebook-are-a-failure-of-congress/

* "What Comes Next in the Colorado Firebomb Attack Suspect’s Prosecution After He Waived His Right to a Preliminary Hearing:" https://time.com/7302557/colorado-attack-mohamed-sabry-soliman/

* "Man arrested for allegedly firebombing election equipment in Colorado clerk's office:" https://www.npr.org/2025/07/15/nx-s1-5467377/man-arrested-for-allegedly-firebombing-election-equipment-in-colorado-clerks-office

* "Brett Hankison, officer in raid that killed Breonna Taylor, should get 1-day prison sentence, DOJ says:" https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brett-hankison-breonna-taylor-death-doj-prison-sentence-request/

They assassinated her in her sleep on purpose, knowing she had no connection to the man they'd already arrested when they applied for the no knock warrant. They turned off their cameras on purpose in advance which shows premeditation and conspiracy. The one who actually assassinated her wasn't even arrested.

* "My University Values Football More Than Education:" https://www.chronicle.com/article/my-university-values-football-more-than-education

* "A data analysis of animal gender in children’s books:" https://pudding.cool/2025/07/kids-books/

* "US appeals court upholds West Virginia restriction on abortion pill sales:" https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-court-west-virginia-3c888154176c229bc7a4f0657cb327bb

* "Gay blessings 'will remain' under Pope Leo, Vatican doctrine chief says:" https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/gay-blessings-will-remain-under-pope-leo-vatican-doctrine-chief-says

* "Man who endured antigay exorcism wins historic settlement with Church of England:" https://www.advocate.com/news/uk-conversion-therapy-payout

* "How drag artists can protect themselves from the far-right attacks:" https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/drag-protection-resources-handbook

* "Florida city removes rainbow crosswalk, following Sean Duffy's anti-Pride directive:" https://www.advocate.com/news/florida-city-removes-rainbow-crosswalk

* "Gender Assumptions:" https://www.choice360.org/tie-post/gender-assumptions/

* "Pregnancy Is a Minefield When You’re Disabled:" https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/07/pregnancy-disability-death-ob-gyn-training/

* "Moderna’s flu vaccine shows positive late-stage trial results, paving way for combination Covid shot:" https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/30/modernas-flu-vaccine-shows-positive-trial-results-paving-way-for-combo-shot.html?

* "Measles cases hit highest level since it was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000:" https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2025/07/05/2025-record-breaking-measles-outbreak/83994445007/

* "Strangers in the middle of a city: The John and Jane Does of L.A. General Medical Center:" https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2025-06-15/l-a-seeks-help-for-a-patient-with-no-name

* "RNA Is the Cell’s Emergency Alert System:" https://www.quantamagazine.org/rna-is-the-cells-emergency-alert-system-20250714/

* "Gone with the glaciers: Researchers track unprecedented ice loss:" https://phys.org/news/2025-06-glaciers-track-unprecedented-ice-loss.html

* "Photos: Europe Swelters Under a Heat Dome:" https://archive.ph/nmQ4h#selection-576.0-576.1

* "Europe’s Deadly Heatwave: Climate Change Tripled the Death Toll, Finds Study:" https://climatefactchecks.org/europes-deadly-heatwave-climate-change-tripled-the-death-toll-finds-study/

* Once again, I am embarrassed for my country. "US lawmakers write to Canada to complain that its wildfire smoke is spoiling summer:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czjkgg0kk3lo

* "The US faces more frequent extreme weather events, but attitudes and actions aren’t keeping up:" https://apnews.com/article/texas-floods-extreme-weather-attitudes-preparations-cc9d55c1f2440d78e01dcc65ec748112

* "Intense downpours like those in Texas are more frequent, but there’s no telling where they’ll happen:" https://apnews.com/article/texas-flood-climate-change-drought-rainfall-23bfa1a45d9897676b0fe27c81c6fa2d

* "Number of missing in Texas floods drops from nearly 100 to 3 in hard-hit county:" https://abcnews.go.com/US/number-missing-texas-floods-drops-100-3/story?id=123898660

* "Camp Mystic’s leader got a ‘life threatening’ flood alert. They evacuated an hour later.:" https://archive.ph/nKwBg

* "Puppies rescued from flood-stricken Texas arrive at Chicago shelter:" https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-dogs-shelter-chicago-9eb7287c9d2a7852c80e391ddb622d5b

* "How climate crisis makes rainstorms that flooded New York more common:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/16/new-york-floods-storm-climate-change

* "Two dead in New Jersey as soaked US northeast braces for more rain:" https://phys.org/news/2025-07-dead-jersey-northeast-braces.html

* "Photos: The Grand Canyon Burns:" https://archive.ph/N6JxG#selection-576.0-576.1

* "Tuvalu residents prepare for world’s first planned migration of an entire nation — and climate change is to blame:" https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/tuvalu-residents-prepare-for-worlds-first-planned-migration-of-an-entire-nation-and-climate-change-is-to-blame

* "Six months after LA wildfires, some adjust to new life in RVs:" https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/california-wildfires-altadena/

* "Illegal loggers profit from Brazil’s carbon credit projects:" https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/illegal-loggers-profit-brazils-carbon-credit-projects-2025-07-07/

* "‘With What Water?’:" https://www.texasobserver.org/rio-conchos-texas-mexico-water-treaty/

* "The floor is lava: How concrete, asphalt and urban heat islands add to the misery of heat waves:" https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CLIMATE-CHANGE/URBAN-HEAT/byvrejywdpe/?

* "Uncontrolled Remains:" https://bldgblog.com/2025/07/uncontrolled-remains/

* "California farmers identify a hot new cash crop: Solar power:" https://theconversation.com/california-farmers-identify-a-hot-new-cash-crop-solar-power-259653

* "432 Crawler Robots Slowly Move an Entire Shanghai City Block Back Into Place:" https://laughingsquid.com/crawler-robots-move-shanghai-city-block/

* "The Tiny Home Construction Contest Is a Big Deal in This Texas Town :" https://archive.ph/w5iY9

* "'I can't drink the water' - life next to a US data centre:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8gy7lv448o#2

* "When Google's slop meets webslop, search stops:" https://pluralistic.net/2025/07/15/inhuman-gigapede/

* "'I'm being paid to fix issues caused by AI':" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyvm1dyp9v2o

* "Are AI Bots Knocking Cultural Heritage Offline?:" https://www.glamelab.org/products/are-ai-bots-knocking-cultural-heritage-offline/

* "Library IT vs. the AI bots:" https://library.unc.edu/news/library-it-vs-the-ai-bots/

* "Judge Rules Training AI on Authors' Books Is Legal But Pirating Them Is Not:" https://www.404media.co/judge-rules-training-ai-on-authors-books-is-legal-but-pirating-them-is-not/

* "Toy-maker Mattel accused of planning “reckless” AI social experiment on kids:" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/06/mattel-sparks-fear-that-planned-chatgpt-fueled-toys-will-warp-kids/

* "UK unis to cough up to £10M on Java to keep Oracle off their backs:" https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/13/jisc_java_oracle

* "We have always been at war with computers:" https://www.librarian.net/stax/5689/talk-we-have-always-been-at-war-with-computers/

* Well Fuck! "US court strikes down ‘click-to-cancel’ rule designed to make unsubscribing easier:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/08/court-click-to-cancel-ruling

* "Microtransactions reach new level of hell once thought impossible with buy now, pay later options: "Interest-free biweekly payments or longer-term monthly installments":" https://www.gamesradar.com/games/microtransactions-reach-new-level-of-hell-once-thought-impossible-with-buy-now-pay-later-options-interest-free-biweekly-payments-or-longer-term-monthly-installments/

* "Buy Now, Pay Later loans will factor in to Americans’ credit scores:" https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/23/economy/fico-scores-buy-now-pay-later-bnpl

* "Queer Dating Apps: Beware Who You Trust With Your Intimate Data:" https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/06/24/queer-dating-apps-beware-who-you-trust/

* "Careless People:" https://solarbird.dreamwidth.org/2044376.html

* "Address bar shows hp.com. Browser displays scammers’ malicious text anyway.:" https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/tech-support-scammers-inject-malicious-phone-numbers-into-big-name-websites/

* "Hundreds of Brother printer models have an unpatchable security flaw:" https://www.theverge.com/news/694877/brother-printers-security-flaw-password-vulnerability

* "A mess of its own making: Google nerfs second Pixel phone battery this year:" https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/07/a-mess-of-its-own-making-google-nerfs-second-pixel-phone-battery-this-year/

* "How Android phones became an earthquake warning system:" https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/07/how-android-phones-became-an-earthquake-warning-system/?

* "We’ve discovered a new kind of magnetism. What can we do with it?:" https://archive.ph/ObokU#selection-638.0-638.1

* "First images of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory:" https://www.technology.org/2025/07/11/first-images-of-the-vera-c-rubin-observatory/

* "'A completely new phenomenon': Astronomers spot a planet causing its star to constantly explode:" https://www.livescience.com/space/exoplanets/a-completely-new-phenomenon-astronomers-spot-a-planet-causing-its-star-to-constantly-explode

* "This tropical plant builds isolated ‘apartments’ to prevent battles among the aggressive ant tenants it relies on for survival:" https://theconversation.com/this-tropical-plant-builds-isolated-apartments-to-prevent-battles-among-the-aggressive-ant-tenants-it-relies-on-for-survival-260674

* "In a Milestone for Manhattan, a Pair of Coyotes Has Made Central Park Their Home:" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/in-a-milestone-for-manhattan-a-pair-of-coyotes-has-made-central-park-their-home-180986892/

* "Pavlov's dogs were conditioned to go to their treat; why do some animals learn to interact with the bell instead?:" https://phys.org/news/2025-07-pavlov-dogs-conditioned-animals-interact.html

* "Chimps develop fashion trend by shoving grass in their ears — and in their butts:" https://www.livescience.com/animals/land-mammals/chimps-develop-fashion-trend-by-shoving-grass-in-their-ears-and-in-their-butts

* "Rare Amber Fossils Capture ‘Zombie’ Fungus Infecting Insects During a Time When Dinosaurs Still Walked the Earth:" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-amber-fossils-capture-zombie-fungus-infecting-insects-during-a-time-when-dinosaurs-still-walked-the-earth-180986880/

* "Dinosaurs Gathered to Perform Mating Dances With Kicks and Spins at This Site in Colorado—and You Can Go See It for Yourself:" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dinosaurs-gathered-to-perform-mating-dances-with-kicks-and-spins-at-this-site-in-colorado-and-you-can-go-see-it-for-yourself-180986995/

* "Why queer memory is not only vital in these troubled times–it's revolutionary:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/queer-memory

* "San Francisco rejects initial push to reclaim LGBTQ+ historic site from private prison use:" https://www.advocate.com/news/san-francisco-rejects-comptons-cafeteria

* My decision to act as if someone might burst in at any minute paid off Friday, as three guys came by to tape stuff in the afternoon.

Sunday, my plan was do lungs, then put the pads on so I could go bathe without worrying what Tavy might do. Bwahahahaha! No. Machine wouldn't turn on. Checked the plug. Checked the power strip was plugged in which involved dangerously walking the shelves full of delicate things forward, which involved moving the sofa waaaaay out, Then trying to snake around to reach the plug. It was fine. It was at this point I thought to turn on the lamp attached the power strip. It was fine. Changed plugs on the power strip just in case. Still no joy. The machine is dead. I called it in. Last time it took a couple of weeks and a call from my doctor because they were alarmed at my level of hypoxia to get Lincare to disgorge a new machine. Let's see if after hours automated system is brighter than a live operator I talked to every day who refused to understand that I could not take the medicine without them replacing the machine.

Given I already had the sofa pulled all the way out, I cleaned stuff. I swept. I wiped the hidden and half hidden shelves down. I moved the stuff into the half hidden shelf I was thinking of moving there, which cleared a little bit of my debris maze. No much, but something. I put the cover on the sofa I'd pulled and washed during Blerpfest last week. I piled the bedding up and put the daily two layers of smaller pads on. I pushed everything back into place. I got my bath.

I can't stop coughing, between dust and pollen. Sigh. I also strained a few torso muscles over the ribs.

* "Nick Offerman Is Sounding the Alarm: America’s National Parks Are Under Attack | The Daily Show:"

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* "Jordan Klepper Charts Trump's Long History With Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell | The Daily Show:"

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* "Trump Targets Fed Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Who Says, “Come at Me, B*tch!” | The Daily Show:"

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* "Would You RSVP "Yes" to Elon Musk's New Political Party? | The Daily Show:"

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* "Ever Wondered Where Cab Drivers Go to the Bathroom? Josh Johnson Has | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Paramount’s Trump Settlement: A Big Fat Bribe | Jeffrey Epstein Never Dies | FIFA Trophy Row:"

( Embed: )

* "Trump To MAGA: Don’t Talk About Jeffrey Epstein | Three Missing Minutes | The Unabomber’s Professor:"

( Embed: )

* "Meanwhile… Downloading Netflix | Hidden Tarantulas | Chimpanzee Fashion | Florida Birthday Meth:"

( Embed: )

* "Casanova's ""Icosameron,"" Or, the Story of Edward and Elizabeth: Who Spent Eighty-One Years in the Land of the Megamicres, Original Inhabitants of Prot:" https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780941752008

* "Metallica Refuses To Let Trump Use Their Music:"

( Embed: )

* "Inside Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Weather Bill:"

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

The help links are at the bottom under the cut.

* CW: Suicide "These hotlines are still available for LGBTQ+ youth after Trump kills 988 services:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-youth-hotlines-still-available

* "United States Disappeared Tracker:" https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/danielleharlow/viz/UnitedStatesDisappearedTracker/Map

* "Introducing Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network:" https://aflcio.org/2025/4/16/introducing-rise-federal-workers-legal-defense-network

* Here are some ways to help Immigrants and the anti-ICE Protesters:

Immigrant Defenders: https://give.immdef.org/give/545119/#!/donation/checkout
The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/
National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/nbfn-directory
Amnesty International: protect asylum-seekers: https://donate.amnestyusa.org/page/113080/donate/1
The Young Center for Immigtrant Children's Rights: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/
CHIRLA: https://www.chirla.org/
AL Otro Lado: https://alotrolado.networkforgood.com/projects/63833-al-otro-lado-fund
Mid-South Immigration Advocates: https://miamemphis.org/

* Want to help Nathan Sage against Joni Ernst? https://www.sageforsenate.com/

* Want to help Dr. Annie Andrews beat Lindsey Graham?" https://secure.actblue.com/donate/loc_annie_fr_txt_q22025?refcode=LOC_RTL_FR_2025.05.29_Lindsey-Bad-Job_B1_C1_Pros_N_Peony_RG-T1&amount=5

( More Links Underneath: )

Speedy update

So HGB on Wednesday (after 1st iron infusion on Friday) was 11.3 so we're getting somewhere. Second infusion (it's in two parts) was Wednesday. Transfusing tomorrow. I presume they're not running labs before transfusing though it would, in fact, be pretty helpful if they did (data nerd that I am the hospital spoiled me with the daily labs).

Then Monday I go for IV insertion at my surgeon's (because it finally occurred to me that it makes zero sense to try and start an IV when I'm dehydrated, tired, stressed, etc. So day before surgery and we super tape it down and pray.

Surgery Tuesday. He's actually going for a larger area than planned originally. Which might mean one less procedure. That would be super nice, but not holding my breath.

Off work two weeks. Hope that's enough.

Okay, time for bed.

7/13/25 - 718//25

* News keeps moving fast, so some items may be already out of date.

* I am once again cutting things way short because Action Items.

* "FM Araqchi says Iran to work with IAEA, but inspections may be risky:" https://archive.ph/phhku

* "US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, NBC News reports:" https://archive.ph/18eca

******

* "Israeli settlers beat U.S. citizen to death in West Bank:" https://www.npr.org/2025/07/12/g-s1-77345/israeli-settlers-u-s-citizen-death-west-bank

* "'Bunch of crap': Trump admin slammed for weak response after Israeli settlers kill U.S. citizen:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/-bunch-of-crap-trump-admin-slammed-for-weak-response-after-israeli-settlers-kill-u-s-citizen-243129925857

******

* "In reversal, Trump arms Ukraine, threatens sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil:" https://archive.ph/Xkr3b

* "Trump asked Zelenskiy if Ukraine could hit Moscow, FT reports:" https://archive.ph/jwWIP

* "Europeans open to buying US arms for Ukraine under Trump plan but need details:" https://archive.ph/H3M65

* "Ukraine offers its front line as test bed for foreign weapons:" https://archive.ph/hIpzD

* "Trump says NATO becoming ‘opposite’ of obsolete and collective defense is ‘fine’:" https://www.politico.eu/article/trump-says-nato-becoming-opposite-of-obsolete-and-collective-defense-is-fine/

* "In Trump embarrassing himself again for Putin, CIA sees a president switching sides:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/in-trump-embarrassing-himself-again-for-putin-cia-sees-a-president-switching-sides-243229765625

* "Russian drones, missiles hit Ukrainian cities, officials say:" https://archive.ph/nJVG8

* "Zelenskyy slams Russia for intensifying their 'terror, intimidation' campaign on Ukraine:" https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/07/13/zelenskyy-slams-russia-for-intensifying-their-terror-intimidation-campaign-on-ukraine

* "Russian agents killed after allegedly assassinating Ukraine colonel in bold daylight attack, Kyiv says:" https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-agents-killed-assassination-ukraine-colonel-kyiv-says/

* "Dutch intelligence services say Russia has stepped up use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine:" https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-chemical-weapons-netherlands-26a1bea82a7d1a57b581c60683628712?

******

* "At least 23 dead after airstrike on Buddhist monastery in Myanmar:" https://apnews.com/article/myanmar-airstrike-buddhist-monastery-causalities-26b6daf2c790e86fcb76a2d286b47bd7

* "Under a rain of bullets, Haitian police rescue thousands of artworks:" https://archive.ph/qbqTs

* "The Hotel Oloffson Was a ‘Safe Haven’ in Haiti. Gang Wars Have Turned It to Ashes:" https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/haiti-gangs-hotel-oloffson-destroyed-1235383790/

* "Exclusive: Why China's ultimatum to Myanmar rebels threatens global supply of heavy rare earths:" https://archive.ph/8Uksk

* "Alberta bans school library books it deems sexually explicit:" https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-school-library-book-rules-1.7581787

* "‘A family of traitors’: Trump’s Brazil tariffs ultimatum backfires on Bolsonaro:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/16/trump-brazil-tariffs-ultimatum-backfires-bolsonaro-lula

* "Trump tariffs push up inflation despite pressure on Fed to cut rates:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/15/trump-tariffs-inflation-economy-federal-reserve-00453024

* "White House probe fuels speculation Trump could oust Fed chief Powell:" https://www.politico.eu/article/huge-deal-white-house-probe-fuels-speculation-trump-could-oust-powell/

* "Bessent Says ‘Formal Process’ for Powell Succcessor Has Started:" https://archive.ph/vzWfT

* "Trump Denies Plan to Ax Powell After Floating Idea to Lawmakers:" https://archive.ph/bHnZe

* "Trump launches next round of third country deportations with new flight to Eswatini:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/16/trump-third-country-deportations-eswatini-00455757

* "Ric Grenell’s rogue diplomacy stalls Marco Rubio’s Venezuela prisoner deal:" https://www.advocate.com/news/ric-grenell-undercuts-marco-rubio

* People will die. "Trump administration stops abuse protection for transgender detainees in ICE custody:" https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-detainees-danger-ice-custody

* Everyone deserves Due Process. "ICE bars detained immigrants from getting bond hearings:" https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/ice-bars-detained-immigrants-from-getting-bond-hearings-rcna218944

* "Trump can't hide Everglades internment camp as Democrats press inspections:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-can-t-hide-everglades-internment-camp-as-democrats-press-inspections-243221061981

* "Federal judge orders LAPD to stop shooting journalists with rubber bullets at protests:" https://archive.ph/3uU9r

* "L.A. ‘under siege’: Brown-skinned people targeted, tackled, taken, and it must stop, federal suit says:" https://archive.ph/TkI7y

* "Demonstrators, federal agents seen in violent downtown L.A. clash:" https://ktla.com/news/local-news/demonstrators-federal-agents-seen-in-violent-clash-in-downtown-los-angeles/

* "National Guard came to L.A. to fight unrest. Troops ended up fighting boredom:" https://archive.ph/iGmjs

* "L.A.’s protest movement shifts tactics as ICE raids continue:" https://archive.ph/Q16DG

* "Disabled veteran detained during immigration raid speaks out, alleges civil rights violations:" https://ktla.com/news/local-news/disabled-veteran-detained-immigration-raid-speaks-out/

They beat him and denied him medical help for the crime of being a brown US citizen driving to work.

* "Can Cops Wear Masks?:"

( Embed: )

* "Exclusive: A Washington state agency is sharing drivers' private data with ICE:" https://www.king5.com/article/news/investigations/investigators/exclusive-washington-state-agency-department-licensing-shares-private-driver-data-with-ice/281-910b35d8-e1fd-4b30-9ceb-00e6708f3b24

* "Beloved Cincinnati Imam detained by ICE after asylum revoked:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/beloved-cincinnati-imam-detained-by-ice-after-asylum-revoked-243150917525

* "ICE frees transgender asylum seeker from detention after Oregon court order:" https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-woman-ice-custody-released

* "Labor union says California university professor was taken during Camarillo immigration raid protest :" https://ktla.com/news/local-news/labor-union-says-california-university-professor-was-taken-during-camarillo-immigration-raid-protest/

* "Washington farm labor organizer ends his deportation fight after 4 months in ICE detention:" https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/15/washington-farm-labor-organizer-ends-his-deportation-fight-after-4-months-in-ice-detention/

* "Federal agents arrest Spokane ICE protesters:" https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/federal-agents-arrest-spokane-ice-protesters/

* "Sacramento rally protests immigrant enforcement actions:" https://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-rally-protests-immigrant-enforcement/65443222

* "Polls show American backlash as Trump breaks promise to focus on criminals in anti-immigrant crusade:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/polls-show-american-backlash-as-trump-breaks-promise-to-focus-on-criminals-in-anti-immigrant-crusade-243113541599

* "Trump Loves ICE. Its Workforce Has Never Been So Miserable.:" https://archive.ph/y0vm5

* Here are some ways to help Immigrants and the anti-ICE Protesters:

Immigrant Defenders: https://give.immdef.org/give/545119/#!/donation/checkout
The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/
National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/nbfn-directory
Amnesty International: protect asylum-seekers: https://donate.amnestyusa.org/page/113080/donate/1
The Young Center for Immigtrant Children's Rights: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/
CHIRLA: https://www.chirla.org/
AL Otro Lado: https://alotrolado.networkforgood.com/projects/63833-al-otro-lado-fund
Mid-South Immigration Advocates: https://miamemphis.org/
"Know Your Rights:" https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights

* "Nationwide ‘Good Trouble’ anti-Trump protests pay tribute to John Lewis:" https://archive.ph/j9nJk

* "Hundreds rally against Trump administration at ‘Good Trouble’ Loop gathering:" https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/17/good-trouble-protest/

* "Trump wants 5-seat pickup from redraw of Texas congressional map:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/15/trump-five-seat-pickup-redraw-texas-congressional-map-00454301

* "Stacey Abrams: Autocracy is 'happening here right now under our noses':" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/stacey-abrams-autocracy-is-happening-here-right-now-under-our-noses-243149381531

* An autocrat's dream. "Gabbard’s team has sought spy agency data to enforce Trump’s agenda:" https://archive.ph/lRFDo

* "Elon Musk’s Grok Chatbot Goes Full Nazi, Calls Itself ‘MechaHitler’:" https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/elon-musk-grok-chatbot-antisemitic-posts-1235381165/

* "‘Full Nazi’: Elon Musk's AI chatbot started calling itself 'MechaHitler':" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/-full-nazi-elon-musk-s-ai-chatbot-started-calling-itself-mechahitler-242978885708

* CW: Rape. "Elon Musk's Grok AI gave instructions how to rob and rape a liberal commentator:" https://www.advocate.com/news/grok-ai-will-stancil-rob

* "Of course, Grok’s AI companions want to have sex and burn down schools:" https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/15/of-course-groks-ai-companions-want-to-have-sex-and-burn-down-schools/

* There is no good reason to do this. "The Pentagon Signs Up for Grok, Days After the Chatbot’s Antisemitic Meltdown:" https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/07/pentagon-grok-elon-musk-ai/

* "Musk’s giant Tesla factory casts shadow on lives in a quiet corner of Germany:" https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/14/musk-giant-tesla-factory-germany

* "Protesters rally against Elon Musk outside Tesla dealership:" https://www.wfae.org/charlotte-area/2025-07-15/protesters-rally-against-elon-musk-outside-tesla-dealership

* "Social Security Administration Tells Beneficiaries To Make The Switch Now From Paper Checks:" https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2025/07/14/social-security-administration-tells-beneficiaries-to-make-the-switch-now-from-paper-checks/

* "Social Security pulls field office staff to answer overwhelmed phone line:" https://archive.ph/dENhz

SSA was all working just fine until Trump and Musk Deliberately Broke it.

* "IRS says churches can endorse political candidates without losing tax-exempt status:" https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/08/irs-church-candidates-tax-politics.html

* "The Trump administration reverses its promise to publish key climate reports online:" https://www.npr.org/2025/07/15/g-s1-77661/the-trump-administration-reverses-its-promise-to-publish-key-climate-reports-online

* "20 states sue FEMA for canceling grant program that guards against natural disasters:" https://apnews.com/article/fema-trump-disaster-grants-beff4bbc84a88e1b7136749ad3012590

* "Trump admin forced to restore $6.2 million to LGBTQ+ and HIV groups:" https://www.advocate.com/news/funding-restored-hiv-lgbtq-groups

* Call Your House Rep Now!!!

The House vote on DOGE cuts is Friday!!!

Save Foreign Aid, PBS, NPR!

* "House nears vote on cuts to NPR, PBS and foreign aid programs:" https://www.npr.org/2025/07/17/nx-s1-5469904/npr-pbs-cuts-rescission-senate-vote

* "The programs facing funding cuts as rescissions package nears final approval:" https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-programs-facing-funding-cuts-as-rescissions-package-nears-final-approval

* "A 'Crypto Week' win: Congress passes 1st major crypto legislation in the U.S.:" https://www.npr.org/2025/07/17/nx-s1-5451413/crypto-week-stablecoin-genius-act-trump

* RE: SAVE ACT "Do This Today: Call Senators:" https://solarbird.dreamwidth.org/2036106.html

If these are your Senators, please stop what you are doing and call now:

KELLY (AZ)
WARNOCK (GA)
PETERS (MI)
SHAHEEN (NH)
HASSAN (NH)
CORTEZ MASTO (NV)
ROSEN (NV)

* This one is a super dangerous attack on the judiciary's ability to protect citizen's rights. "H.R. 1526: NORRA of 2025:" https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr1526

* These two are disasterously advancing to the full Senate:

* "Senate panel approves federal judge nomination for Emil Bove, who defended Trump:" https://www.npr.org/2025/07/17/nx-s1-5467260/trump-emil-bove-judge

He ought to be disbarred, not given a life time appointment to end the rule of law.

* "Senate Dems protest committee vote to advance Trump's judicial pick:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/17/senate-democrats-protest-bove-nomination-00459557

* "Democrats challenge whether Emil Bove's judicial nomination advanced after they walked out of vote:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-challenge-whether-emil-boves-controversial-judicial-nominati-rcna219346

* "Emil Bove declines to rule out 3rd Trump term or denounce Jan. 6 rioters in Senate questionnaire:" https://www.cbsnews.com/news/emil-bove-senate-questionnaire-trump-third-term-january-6/

* "Dozens of judges call Emil Bove unfit for bench in letter to Senate:" https://www.axios.com/2025/07/15/trump-emil-bove-nomination-judges-oppose

* "Emil Bove and Jeanine Pirro Won’t Condemn January 6. GOP Senators No Longer Care.:" https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/07/bove-pirro-tillis-january-6-capitol/

* "Unfit to Serve: Jeanine Pirro Made Excuses for Jan. 6th:" https://www.thebulwark.com/p/unfit-to-serve-jeanine-pirro-made-excuses-for-january-6th-hostagers-prosecutors-attorney-confirmation-tillis

* "Why Zohran Mamdani might be the GOP’s worst nightmare:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/why-zohran-mamdani-might-be-the-gop-s-worst-nightmare-242748997809

* "These two Black transgender women are ‘shining beacons’ leading Chicago through anti-trans backlash:" https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-chicago-leaders

* "Louisiana Medicaid quietly stops reimbursing patients for gender-affirming care:" https://www.advocate.com/health/louisiana-medicaid-gender-affirming-care

* "Texas AG Ken Paxton's wife files for divorce, citing God and ‘recent discoveries’:" https://www.advocate.com/news/ken-paxton-wife-angela-divorce

* "Idaho Attorney General tells schools to ban 'Everyone is Welcome Here' signs:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/idaho-everyone-is-welcome-signs

* "Bombshell records expose political plot to oust rural Georgia librarian over LGBTQ+ book:" https://www.advocate.com/news/georgia-librarian-fired-political-influence

* "Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to remain in custody while he awaits his sentencing:" https://apnews.com/live/sean-diddy-combs-trial-verdict-updates

* "How hundreds of Irish babies came to be buried in a secret mass grave:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwqnwrkd1go

* "Italy's abortion taboos challenged by new law in Sicily:" https://archive.ph/bAHGE

* "A “Striking” Trend: After Texas Banned Abortion, More Women Nearly Bled to Death During Miscarriage:" https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-abortion-ban-miscarriage-blood-transfusions

* "How Texas’ abortion ban is making miscarriages more dangerous:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/how-texas-abortion-ban-is-making-miscarriages-more-dangerous-242751045840

* "U.N. draft report uses pseudoscience to claim gender dysphoria is 'socially contagious':" https://www.advocate.com/news/un-draft-report-gender-dysphoria

* "What trans and nonbinary people need to know about updating their passports and birth certificates:" https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-nonbinary-federal-identity-documents

* CW: Suicide. "Donald Trump’s election triggered transgender people to contemplate DIY hormones & suicide: study:" https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-care-worries-trump-presidency

* "Detroit trans woman Karmin Wells shot and killed:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/karmin-wells-transgender-woman-killed

* "5 charged in assault that left a transgender girl with a broken jaw in D.C. juvenile detention center:" https://www.advocate.com/news/dc-transgender-girl-detention-assault

Trans women and girls who are incarcerated need to be housed with the other women and girls. It's not safe otherwise.

* "Transgender woman who escaped Alabama for her safety beaten & left for dead near National Mall in D.C.:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/transgender-woman-beaten-dc

* "Nonbinary Arizona teacher doxxed and accused of grooming by board members settles lawsuit:" https://www.advocate.com/news/arizona-teacher-nonbinary-discrimination-lawsuit

* "Indiana church stands by sermons calling for the government to execute LGBTQ+ people:" https://www.advocate.com/news/indiana-church-execution-lgbtq-people

* "Indiana LGBTQ+ rights protesters surround strip-mall church that preaches death for 'sodomites':" https://www.advocate.com/news/indiana-lgbtq-church-death-preach

* "5,000 users leave trans subreddit in wake of transmasculine controversy:" https://www.advocate.com/transgender/trans-subreddit-chaos

* "Florida authorities search for truck driver who vandalized rainbow intersection:" https://www.advocate.com/news/florida-authorities-delray-beach-intersection

* "Billie Jean King: Listen to transgender athletes:" https://www.advocate.com/sports/billie-jean-king-listen-transgender

* "Queer runner Caster Semenya wins again in court against athletic body that sidelined her:" https://www.advocate.com/news/caster-semenya-wins-court-europe

There is so much racism tied up in gender policing cases like this. I'm glad she won. I'm furious that she and other athletes keep having to fight this battle over and over.

* "Boston opens new park named after murdered Black transgender woman Rita Hester:" https://www.advocate.com/news/boston-trans-woman-rita-hester

* "I Fought Plastic. Plastic Won.:" https://archive.ph/8Ialp

* "With the death toll still rising, the Austin area's recent flooding is one of its deadliest ever:" https://www.kut.org/energy-environment/2025-07-17/austin-tx-flooding-flood-death-toll-missing-texas-history

* "Ahead of deadly Texas floods, so many warnings from climate scientists were missed:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/texas-floods-climate-change

* "Some Texas Officials Didn’t Respond to Flood Alerts, Echoing the Tragedies of Hurricane Helene:" https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-flooding-evacuations-hurricane-helene

* "Noem fights criticism of FEMA management in Texas flood response:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/13/kristi-noem-fema-texas-flood-00450235

* "Texas flooding live updates: Search continues for missing with 130 dead:" https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/texas-flooding-live-updates/?id=123729682

* Kristi Noem claims this is a crucial cost saving measure. "FEMA Didn’t Answer Thousands of Calls From Flood Survivors, Documents Show:" https://archive.ph/1IHRW

* "Heckuva time to make an appearance: Trump's FEMA chief drops in on Texas flood zone :" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/heckuva-time-to-make-an-appearance-trump-s-fema-chief-drops-in-on-texas-flood-zone-243226181846

* "Delta passenger recounts harrowing JFK-bound flight’s emergency landing in remote North Atlantic islands:" https://www.advocate.com/news/delta-emergency-landing-azores

* "America’s Coming Smoke Epidemic:" https://archive.ph/uNAmX

* "Samoa’s new marine spatial plan protects 30% of the country’s ocean:" https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/samoas-new-marine-spatial-plan-protects-30-of-the-countrys-ocean/

* "OpenAI’s Sam Altman bashes Democrats. Here’s why he says he’s 'politically homeless':" https://www.advocate.com/news/sam-altman-leaves-democratic-party

* "Celebrated queer poet Andrea Gibson dead at 49:" https://www.advocate.com/news/andrea-gibson-dead

* "In the chemo room, I wear mittens made of ice so I don’t lose my fingernails. But I took a risk today to write this down. - Andrea Gibson 1975 – 2025:" https://poets.org/poem/chemo-room-i-wear-mittens-made-ice-so-i-dont-lose-my-fingernails-i-took-risk-today-write-down

* At some point midway through last week, Livia officially lost patience with the Emperor's bullshit. Unless you are live prey, she is a pretty peaceable creature. He starts bothering her, she will generally get up and move, unless he pushes things too far, and then she'll give him a gentle swat, but usually, the apartment is full of great mesting locations and it's not worth fighting over. If she pushes back, he generally stops, her being so much bigger and more muscular than him. He's too bright to want a real fight with her. He just has a lot of feelings and is terrible at self regulating, so if he's upset or anxious, it tends to be an everybody problem.

Except now, 2/3rds of prime mesting* locations are gone and the three of us are crammed in this tiny area with weird sounds and scary invaders. On weekdays she often spends 7-8 hours in her secure hide, and when she gets out, she wants lots of pets and social time with the three of us hanging around peaceably in a group and maybe some bird watching. Not counting the secure hide, she has three prime mesting locations and two secondary locations left to her and one of the prime spots she can't see me from. (Tavy has three extra spots: his special desk bed, and two others he's light enough to use that are part of the debris maze, but she can't because of the size difference). These days, she frequently panics if she isn't sure where I am because of HoA Construction Hell stress. She can bird watch from that window box or from my desk, but not from her pettin throne. She can get pets from me while I'm at my desk from desk box and pettin throne.

She likes to spend the light part of the late afternoon until dark mostly in her desk box after she's had pets and food and litter and water and checked the birds up close and had more pets and a snack and more pets. Tavy is prone to restlessness at the best of times and he's really stressed out too which involves lots of pacing around the desk and wanting cuddles from me and interaction with her and, and…

Round about Wednesday she snapped.

She didn't hurt him. She'd never deliberately hurt a clowder mate. She will though give a gentle swat and in emergency put her teeth on someone just to let them know she's had enough. She's twice his size, extremely muscular, and about three times his weight. She is not moving out of her box. She is not putting up with him trying to get in her box (there isn't really room and this is usually a prelude to him shit stirring).

By Saturday, he was stepping around her box even when she wasn't in it.

* Mammal + nest = Mest

* An extra person came around today to double check we were well and truly caulked.

Squirrel: Did she thing we are well hung?
Me: Our pipe is properly laid.

In related news, I have decided that while "Biosafe Caulk" would make a fine name for a company producing dildos, or for fancy a proprietor silicone used there in, it would serve best as a Drag King name.

* A little after 9AM a workman knocked, wanting to know if we have cats. I was like Yes, thinking it was an allergy issue for a mudder or something, but actually, he wanted to return a cat.

Except: Livia has never once expressed interest in the Hall and she'd had a pet about two hours ago and I couldn't see how she got out in the intervening time and Tavy was literally startled off me by the knock.

I absolutely knew it wasn't ours before I'd even made it off the sofa because she let loose a loud flat alto Siamese sounding Mrrrrow! Tavy does small non-Siamese cat vocalizations. Livia mostly squeaks, but on the rare occasions she does a normal sounding vocalization, she sounds like a kitten, which is extra cute because she's huge. The lost cat was a tortie, a bit larger than Tavy, though a similar brown (Tavy's been mistaken for a tortie on Zoom) so low end of average range with a collar. Ours never go out and we don't get fleas so mine haven't got collars.

So she'd been trying to break into our apartment. I'm like, she probably smelled our cats and wanted to check them out. Meanwhile she's Mrrrowing at the top of her lungs because he won't let her in. He closed the door and went off to check the rest of the hall. I assumed he found them as she stopped complaining rather suddenly.

In other news, Tavy has decided he eats treats now. O.o

We did get a workman later in the morning to do a little mudding, but apparently we need "Fire Tape" before they go further. I'd expected this afternoon from what the guy said, so I shall be prepared tomorrow morning as he didn't come.

I slipped out after Morning Mudder left for lunch to buy paint so we will be ready as soon as they are done. It was more expensive than it was last time by quite a bit, so it cost me this month's gas money. Sigh.

There is nothing for it. We must paint before reassembling the bed for obvious reasons.

* "Jon on Trump’s Epstein Meltdown, MAGA's Mutiny & Elmo’s Antisemitic Tweets | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Meet Georgio, a Human Carpet Available to Spice Up Any Party | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "This new true crime documentary shows how Furry sleuths exposed an animal abuse ring:" https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/furry-true-crime-series-clip

* "History Meets Galaxy with Tony Gilroy and Mike Duncan:" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-meets-galaxy-with-tony-gilroy-and-mike-duncan/id1583132133?i=1000716624551

* "Yes, Superman is an immigrant. He's also a gay icon.:" https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/superman-immigrant

* "Short Story: The Yellow Wallpaper:" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/short-story-the-yellow-wallpaper/id1679833472?i=1000716896335

* "Sunday Sweets: C'est Bon!:" https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/sunday-sweets-cest-bon-2025

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

The help links are at the bottom under the cut.

* CW: Suicide "These hotlines are still available for LGBTQ+ youth after Trump kills 988 services:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-youth-hotlines-still-available

* "United States Disappeared Tracker:" https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/danielleharlow/viz/UnitedStatesDisappearedTracker/Map

* "Introducing Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network:" https://aflcio.org/2025/4/16/introducing-rise-federal-workers-legal-defense-network

* Here are some ways to help Immigrants and the anti-ICE Protesters:

Immigrant Defenders: https://give.immdef.org/give/545119/#!/donation/checkout
The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/
National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/nbfn-directory
Amnesty International: protect asylum-seekers: https://donate.amnestyusa.org/page/113080/donate/1
The Young Center for Immigtrant Children's Rights: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/
CHIRLA: https://www.chirla.org/
AL Otro Lado: https://alotrolado.networkforgood.com/projects/63833-al-otro-lado-fund
Mid-South Immigration Advocates: https://miamemphis.org/

* Want to help Nathan Sage against Joni Ernst? https://www.sageforsenate.com/

* Want to help Dr. Annie Andrews beat Lindsey Graham?" https://secure.actblue.com/donate/loc_annie_fr_txt_q22025?refcode=LOC_RTL_FR_2025.05.29_Lindsey-Bad-Job_B1_C1_Pros_N_Peony_RG-T1&amount=5

( More Links Underneath: )

7/5/25 - 7/13/25 Wave Goodbye to the Rule of Law

* News keeps moving fast, so some items may be already out of date.

* Once again, I'm cutting this off with only the surface scratched. Sorry.

* "100 transgender inmates presumed dead after Israeli missiles struck Iranian prison last month:" https://www.advocate.com/world/iran-trans-prisoners-missing-israel

******

* "Trump, finally fed up with Putin, teases more Russian sanctions 'at my option':" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/08/trump-putin-russia-sanctions-00442269?nid=0000018f-3124-de07-a98f-3be4d1400000&nname=politico-toplines&nrid=d2eeaed6-f3e9-45f4-9cdf-e99483343117

Anyone taking bets on how soon Trump'll be on his back begging Putin for belly rubs?

* "Kremlin says it's unclear if CNN report that Trump threatened to bomb Moscow is fake or not:" https://archive.ph/ejuSw

* Not holding my breath. "Congress is ready to move on Russia sanctions, Johnson and Thune say:" https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/07/09/congress/senate-sanctions-scheduling-john-thune-00443808

* "Russia’s summer Ukraine offensive looks like its deadliest yet:" https://archive.ph/utW31#selection-1126.0-1126.1

******

* "Syrian forces massacred 1,500 Alawites. The chain of command led to Damascus.:" https://archive.ph/GK71U

* "Sudanese Photographer Shares Personal Experience Documenting His Country’s Ongoing War [Interview]:" https://mymodernmet.com/sudan-war-photography-mosab-abushama/

* "Eleven Dead in Kenya Protests as Police Shut Capital City Down:" https://archive.ph/5Kosn

* "Kenya mourns vendor killed in protests, as calls grow for Ruto to quit:" https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/11/kenya-mourns-vendor-killed-in-protests-as-calls-grow-for-ruto-to-quit

* "Congregation flees after arsonist sets fire to an Australian synagogue door:" https://apnews.com/article/australia-melbourne-synagogue-arson-antisemitism-4226c3be3cfd1097ea630ef4706ad705

* "Tigers, jaguars and elephants are the latest to flee cartel violence in Mexico’s Sinaloa:" https://apnews.com/article/sinaloa-violence-animals-refuge-cartels-cc41ee64c385537edd5289c24c03979f

* "World Bank warns that 39 fragile states are falling further behind as conflicts grow, get deadlier:" https://apnews.com/article/world-bank-development-conflict-gdp-57c1f24ea6ca753e64870a7f882038d5?

* "An Australian woman is found guilty of murdering her in-laws by toxic mushrooms:" https://www.npr.org/2025/07/07/nx-s1-5451735/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-verdict

* "The Little Mountain Democracy That Sustains Tibet’s Refugee Nation:" https://archive.ph/x6Gcp#selection-497.0-501.145

* "Though the US is backsliding on LGBTQ+ rights under Trump, the UN renews mandate for queer protections expert:" https://www.advocate.com/news/un-sogi-expert-mandate-trump

* "Canada labels the Proud Boys, neo-Nazi groups as terrorists:" https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-proud-boys-terrorists-1.5899186

* I don't blame them nor the scientists fleeing our sinking ship. "Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US:" https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/05/europe-launches-program-to-lure-scientists-away-from-the-us/

* "Ways and means:" https://amaebi.dreamwidth.org/2663627.html

* The next big 50501 protest is July 17th: https://www.fiftyfifty.one/events

* "Trump Says He’s Weighing Federal Takeover of Washington, DC:" https://archive.ph/iHo9q

This is scary autocrat stuff. I'd also like to point out how Republicans overthrowing democracy in Flint Michigan turned out for the people living there.

* CW: sexual abuse. "Trump loses appeal of $5 million E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse, defamation verdict:" https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/10/trump-carroll-sexual-abuse-appeal.html

* "Trump commutes 17-year prison sentence for Volusia County Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs:" https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2025/01/21/florida-proud-boy-joe-biggs-jan-6-prison-sentence-commuted/77842895007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z118256p115550c115550e000300v118256b00xxxxd11xx65&gca-ft=12&gca-ds=sophi

* "Jan. 6 defendant sentenced to life in prison for plotting to kill FBI special agents who investigated him:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/jan-6-defendant-sentenced-life-prison-plotting-kill-fbi-special-agents-rcna216526

* "Mystery Artists Return with Trump Dance Sculpture on the National Mall:" https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/mystery-artists-return-with-trump-dance-sculpture-1234746367/

* "'No earthly clue what he's doing': Psaki shreds Trump's poor grip on his own government:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/-no-earthly-clue-what-he-s-doing-psaki-shreds-trump-s-poor-grip-on-his-own-government-242979909528

* He's still obsessed with Rosie O'Donnell all these decades later? "Donald Trump threatens to revoke Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship — but he can't :" https://www.advocate.com/news/trump-odonnell-revoke-citizenship

* "From people to food to flags, why does the Trump administration hate colors so much?:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/trump-administration-hates-color

* "Not so proud to be an American? Why U.S. patriotism is plummeting.:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/not-so-proud-to-be-an-american-why-u-s-patriotism-is-plummeting-242772037563

* "'Thoroughly incompetent manager': The Trump Cabinet's no good, very bad week:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/-thoroughly-incompetent-manager-the-trump-cabinet-s-no-good-very-bad-week-243128389746

* "The F.B.I. Is Using Polygraphs to Test Officials’ Loyalty:" https://archive.ph/SpLoU

* "Man Afraid to Ride Subway Named Head of NASA:" https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-sean-duffy-interim-nasa-administrator-1235382413/

* "Impostor uses AI to impersonate Rubio and contact foreign and US officials:" https://apnews.com/article/rubio-artificial-intelligence-impersonation-1b3cc78464404b54e63f4eba9dd4f5a9

* "Judge won't lift her block on Trump admin's anti-trans, anti-nonbinary passport policy:" https://www.advocate.com/news/judge-keeps-block-passport-policy

* "Passengers at U.S. airports no longer have to remove shoes during regular TSA checks:" https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tsa-shoes-rule-expires/

* "Why is the Army recommending training for this transgender officer that the Pentagon plans to oust?:" https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-nic-talbott-army-training

* This is scary. What happened to HIPAA and privacy? "Trump's DOJ subpoenas doctors and medical clinics that care for transgender youth:" https://www.advocate.com/news/doj-subupoenas-gender-affirming-care

* CW: Suicide. "Cutting the cord on compassion, how one federal order cut lifelines to millions of LGBTQ+ youth:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/trevor-project-donald-trump

* "After trans people, Trump now erases bisexual people from Stonewall National Monument:" https://www.advocate.com/news/bisexual-rights-stonewall-national-monument

* "FTC hosts anti-trans workshop LGBTQ+ advocates call ‘government-sponsored disinformation’:" https://www.advocate.com/news/ftc-gender-affirming-care-workshop

* "Trump admin lawsuit against California seeks end to trans-inclusive sports policy:" https://www.advocate.com/news/trump-admininistration-sues-california-transgender

* "Health experts warn Trump’s new policies for HHS teen pregnancy program could reverse decades of progress:" https://www.advocate.com/health/trump-rollback-teen-pregnancy-warning

* "Doctors and public health organizations sue Kennedy over vaccine policy change:" https://apnews.com/article/lawsuit-vaccines-kennedy-95a1aa23c3f015f7a35a570f5ef8da36

* "Unsaid: ‘Make America Healthy Again’ means kill the sick:" https://www.editorialboard.com/unsaid-make-america-healthy-again-means-kill-the-sick/

* "Measles cases reach new high since being eliminated in U.S.:" https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/measles-cases-high-eliminated-us

* "Trump’s FEMA Proposals and Feud With Gavin Newsom Could Devastate California’s Disaster Response:" https://www.propublica.org/article/california-disasters-fema-trump-funding-fires

* This smells like Racism to me. "Trump official called out for misrepresenting report on female Lahaina fire survivors :" https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/07/12/trump-official-called-out-misrepresenting-report-female-lahaina-fire-survivors/

* "Why you should be worried about a new Trump-appointed commission you probably haven't heard of:" https://www.alternet.org/religious-liberty-commission/

* "IRS moves to allow political engagement from churches, in a win for evangelical groups:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/08/irs-churches-tax-exempt-00441992?cid=apn

* "When Father Joe tells you who to vote for, America loses its last vestige of morality:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/irs-churches-can-endorse-candiates

* "Harvard seemingly caves to Trump, shuts down LGBTQ+ and women's center websites:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/harvard-trump-lgbtq-center-website

* "George Washington University implements hiring freeze & budget cuts as Trump advances war on higher ed:" https://www.advocate.com/news/george-washington-university-austerity-measures

* "Steve Kroft – “60 Minutes” and Paramount’s $16M Trump Settlement | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Goodbye to All That:" https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/goodbye-to-all-that

* "FBI veteran exposes Trump cronies' political games with Trump enemies list:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/fbi-veteran-exposes-trump-cronies-political-games-with-trump-enemies-list-242978885727

* "FBI launches probes into former FBI, CIA directors, Fox News reports:" https://archive.ph/r6UR1

*** CW: CSA. Jeffery Epstein Stuff ***

* "Trump’s DOJ Just Denied Key Jeffrey Epstein Conspiracy Theories. MAGA Uproar Ensued. :" https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/07/trump-jeffrey-epstein/

* "MAGA turns on Trump over Epstein scandal:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/maga-turns-on-trump-over-epstein-scandal-242907205538

* "MAGA world in disarray over handling of Epstein case:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/maga-world-in-disarray-over-handling-of-epstein-case-243107397876

* "'Everything should be released': Raskin calls making Epstein files public:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/-everything-should-be-released-raskin-calls-making-epstein-files-public-243114565536

* "Trump's Epstein turmoil triggers MAGA meltdown:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/trump-s-epstein-turmoil-triggers-maga-meltdown-243112517606

* "Supreme Court green-lights Trump’s order for mass firings across federal government:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/08/supreme-court-federal-worker-firings-ruling-00442721

* "Supreme Court sides with Texas' age verification law for porn sites:" https://www.npr.org/2025/06/27/nx-s1-5422424/scotus-texas-porn-law

* "How The Supreme Court Ended Trans Rights:"

( Embed: )

* "This bill will “kill people”: Dem Rep. on how party can capitalize on Trump's unpopular law:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/this-bill-will-kill-people-dem-rep-on-how-party-can-capitalize-on-trump-s-unpopular-law-242751045655

* "Rural hospitals brace for painful program eliminations after Trump's megabill signed into law:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend-primetime/watch/how-will-the-so-called-big-beautiful-law-impact-rural-hospitals-243130949948

* "Sounds like 'lab-invented spin': Jen Psaki shreds Sen. Hawley's Medicaid remarks:" https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/sounds-like-lab-invented-spin-jen-psaki-shreds-sen-hawley-s-medicaid-remarks-243004997595

* "Senate GOP gears up for test on Trump’s DOGE cuts:" https://thehill.com/business/budget/5390897-senate-gop-gears-up-for-test-on-trumps-doge-cuts/

* "Donald Trump Gives Republicans Ultimatum Over PBS, NPR Funding:" https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-gives-republicans-ultimatum-pbs-npr-funding-2097602

* RE: SAVE ACT "Do This Today: Call Senators:" https://solarbird.dreamwidth.org/2036106.html

If these are your Senators, please stop what you are doing and call now:

KELLY (AZ)
WARNOCK (GA)
PETERS (MI)
SHAHEEN (NH)
HASSAN (NH)
CORTEZ MASTO (NV)
ROSEN (NV)

* This one is a super dangerous attack on the judiciary's ability to protect citizen's rights. "H.R. 1526: NORRA of 2025:" https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr1526

* THE VOTE IS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK CALL NOW!!! This is a life time appointment!

* "Internal DOJ messages bolster claim that Trump judicial nominee spoke of defying court orders:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/10/emil-bove-whistleblower-documents-00446225

* "Whistleblower exposing contradictions in Trump nominee's testimony may not be alone: Sen. Booker:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/whistleblower-exposing-contradictions-in-trump-nominee-s-testimony-may-not-be-alone-sen-booker-243052101926

* He should be in jail, not a judge. "Federal Courts Are Cooked:"

( Embed: )

* "Jewish Groups Deny Endorsing Trump’s Far-Right Pick for Watchdog Chief:" https://www.thedailybeast.com/jewish-groups-flat-out-deny-endorsing-donald-trumps-pick-for-office-of-special-counsel-paul-ingrassia/

* "Trump steps up effort to prevent truth from exposing his administration with new appointee:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/trump-steps-up-effort-to-prevent-truth-from-exposing-his-administration-with-new-appointee-243053125934

* "Marjorie Taylor Greene Wants To Make Weather Manipulation A Felony:" https://www.huffpost.com/entry/marjorie-taylor-greene-weather-manipulation-bill_n_686a8cf3e4b06d6dc61354d4

* "“The internet can be a strange place”: Ted Cruz addresses “weather modification” conspiracy theories:" https://www.salon.com/2025/07/07/the-internet-can-be-a-strange-place-ted-cruz-confronts-weather-modification-conspiracy-theories/

It seems to me we'd be better served by rehiring all the people fired at NOAA and FEMA and restoring policies for quick response that Kristi Noem replaced than with outlawing imaginary things, but I'm part of the reality based community, have a working brain, and empathy.

* "Florida congressman's ‘unhinged, racist and Islamophobic’ posts under fire:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/florida-congressman-s-unhinged-racist-and-islamophobic-posts-under-fire-243049541744

* Our job for the next two years is to survive, to build grassroots resistance, to do all in our power to slow the republican Christo-fascist agenda, and to prepare for 2026 in case there is still Democracy.

We are trying to build a good list of resistance resources.

Please add more below if you have them.

* "Take action with Indivisible:" https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/

* Trump 2.0 Indivisible Guide. https://indivisible.org/resource/guide

* "Democracy 2025:" https://www.democracy2025.org/?utm_source=df-ad&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=21912407002&utm_content=721373734297&source=df-ad-gs&gad_source=1

* "Resisting Fascism in 2025 and Beyond:" https://www.prideandpagesbookclub.com/resisting-fascism-in-2025-and-beyond

* If you can't safely contact them in person, here are some other options for contacting your Congress Critters:

Five Calls to your critters: https://5calls.org/

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

And another: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

Snail Mail Campaigns: https://conuly.dreamwidth.org/3622760.html

"Congress. gov:" https://www.congress.gov/

White house (Possibly Dangerous): https://www.whitehouse.gov/

ACLU advice for writing to your Critters: https://www.aclu.org/writing-your-elected-representatives

This tracks legislation: https://www.govtrack.us/

"The Public Comment Process (+ how to write effective public comments):" https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/781844516804149248?source=share

Run for Something: https://runforsomething.net/

"Vote Smart:" https://justfacts.votesmart.org/

Useful organizing links and resources: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/771859083592613888/hater-of-terfs-ive-already-reblogged-a-link-to?source=share

Protests: "50501 Events:" https://www.fiftyfifty.one/events

How to render emergency aid in a riot: https://riotmedicine.net/static/downloads/riot-medicine_a5.pdf

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

"ICE Raids Toolkit: Defend Against ICE Raids and Community Arrests:" https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/raids-toolkit/

Contains a raid tip hotline amoung other things. "Know Your Rights
LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY:" https://wearecasa.org/know-your-rights/

* "North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein vetoes anti-trans, anti-DEI bills:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/nc-vetoes-anti-trans-dei

* "Murders are down nationwide. Researchers point to a key reason:" https://www.npr.org/2025/06/30/nx-s1-5448852/murders-down-nationwide-covid

* "America’s Incarceration Rate Is About to Fall Off a Cliff:" https://archive.ph/mi5Wn

Now would be a great time to end for profit prisons, but alas, Republicans are in charge so likely they will fill them with political prisoners and illegally detained immigrants.

* "Baylor University returns $643,000 LGBTQ+ grant, calling it 'inconsistent' with values:" https://www.advocate.com/news/baylor-university-returns-lgbtq-grant

* "Beloved Georgia librarian fired after child chooses book with transgender character for library display:" https://www.advocate.com/news/librarian-fired-trans-book-georgia

* CW: sexual abuse "Rep. Jim Jordan is a liar who abandoned his wrestlers when they needed him most:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/jim-jordan-abandoned-abused-wrestlers

* CW: domestic violence. "Ohio man charged with killing his partner, a rising local drag artist who went missing last month:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/ohio-man-suspect-drag-artist-killing

* "Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling reinstates conversion therapy ban:" https://www.advocate.com/news/wisconsin-supreme-court-conversion-therapy

* " Black trans woman Dream Johnson killed in Washington, D.C. :" https://www.advocate.com/crime/dream-johnson-transgender-woman-killed

* CW: suicide. "Pennsylvania fines gay grandpa with stage 4 cancer $16k for protesting trans youth suicide:" https://www.advocate.com/news/gay-grandpa-glue-capitol-vermont

* "LGBTQ+ groups face alarming funding crisis as Republican anti-trans attacks mount, new report finds:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-fundraising-dries-up

* CW: Suicide "These hotlines are still available for LGBTQ+ youth after Trump kills 988 services:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-youth-hotlines-still-available

* "What to know about the COVID variant that may cause ‘razor blade’ sore throats:" https://apnews.com/article/covid19-sore-throat-razor-blade-vaccine-4688df53917022cb61204e08b41d5952

* "US CDC report shows no evidence linking thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism:" https://archive.ph/13NCB

* "Measles leaves children vulnerable to other diseases for years:" https://ourworldindata.org/measles-increases-disease-risk

* "‘I’m Treating Guys Who Would Never Be Caught Dead in a Casino’:" https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/06/sports-betting-gambling-addiction/683042/

* "Why Can’t Americans Sleep?:" https://archive.ph/Z4Rxs

* "Spider fear inflates size perception, highlighting the role of emotion in threat assessment:" https://www.psypost.org/spider-fear-inflates-size-perception-highlighting-the-role-of-emotion-in-threat-assessment/

* "The more library books per capita, the fewer residents require nursing care: Japan study:" https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250624/p2a/00m/0li/017000c

* "Real Doctors of New York Spill Their Guts:" https://archive.ph/htp02

* "The Surprising Reason Rural Hospitals Are Closing:" https://time.com/7298891/rural-hospitals-closing-explained-health-care/

This was published before the Republicans voted to kill most of the remaining rural hospitals because they feel a handful of billionaires aren't rich enough.

The point about how deadly health insurance companies are matters still.

* "The Business of Betting on Catastrophe:" https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-business-of-betting-on-catastrophe/

* CW: Suicide "A Killer Within Easy Reach:" https://archive.ph/dicIe

* "See How Marine Heat Waves Are Spreading Across the Globe:" https://archive.ph/xZNVt

* "America's summers keep getting warmer:" https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/summers-warmer-climate-change

* "Texas Hill Country floods: What we know so far:" https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/11/texas-hill-country-floods-what-we-know/

* "Texas flood rescue teams continue to search for scores of missing people as death toll climbs:" https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-floods-missing-people-death-toll-climbs/

* "Video: Timelapse Shows Texas' Llano River Completely Flood in Just Minutes:" https://www.npr.org/sections/the-picture-show/2025/07/06/g-s1-76298/video-timelapse-texas-llano-river-flood-minutes

* "Meteorologists Say the National Weather Service Did Its Job in Texas:" https://www.wired.com/story/meteorologists-say-the-national-weather-service-did-its-job-in-texas/

* "Texas flood forecasts were accurate. It wasn’t enough to save lives. The National Weather Service issued timely alerts, meteorologists say, but few were listening in the hours before the early morning flash floods.:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/07/texas-flood-forecasts-accuracy-lives-lost-00441068

* "DOGE Cuts Turned A Predicted Disaster Into A Deadly Reality In Texas :" https://www.techdirt.com/2025/07/07/doge-cuts-turned-a-predicted-disaster-into-a-deadly-reality-in-texas/

* "Texas lawmaker wants investigation into weather alert system and storm preparedness:" https://www.npr.org/2025/07/07/nx-s1-5458506/texas-floods-alert-investigation

* "Devastating Texas floods highlight stakes of vital weather services amid reckless Trump cuts:" https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/devastating-texas-floods-highlight-need-for-coordination-experience-amid-trump-era-service-cuts-242828357581

* "Amid Trump's FEMA phase-out, disasters make stark the need for federal help:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/amid-trump-s-fema-phase-out-disasters-make-stark-the-need-for-federal-help-242912837825

* Think of the small amount of money Republican politicians are proud of saving by cutting over night weather monitoring and forcing out the person in charge of coordinating disaster related communications. For them the deaths of all these people, many of them children, are minor sacrifices compared to the pleasure Trump and Musk got from firing people significantly more competent than themselves and the tax cuts for a handful of billionaires this carnage is in aid of.

They are planning to cut even more and completely dissolve all federal Disaster response, because NOAA's ability to monitor and predict disasters helps quantify the climate crisis, which is bad for Republican donors, and Trump cares about no one but himself.

Republicans do not care how much damage to the country that they do or how many of their own voters they murder as long as they get money and power.

* "Texas is relying on FEMA. State leaders said it should be cut:" https://www.npr.org/2025/07/09/nx-s1-5459871/texas-trump-fema-flooding

* "FEMA leader is a no-show after deadly Texas flooding:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/10/fema-leader-texas-flooding-00445902

* "Kristi Noem Faces Investigation Over FEMA's Response to Texas Floods:" https://www.newsweek.com/kristi-noem-faces-investigation-fema-response-texas-floods-2097623

* "Budget limits at DHS delayed FEMA’s Texas deployment, officials say:" https://archive.ph/LXKQ6

* "Chris Hayes: It's not 'partisan politics' to question Texas flood response:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/chris-hayes-it-s-not-partisan-politics-to-question-texas-flood-response-242978373680

* "New report on Kristi Noem’s 3-day delay of Texas flood rescue:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/new-report-on-kristi-noem-s-3-day-delay-of-texas-flood-rescue-243044933670

She deliberately slowed the response not only preventing advance deployment of resources, but making them wait three days for help.

She claims ending advance and immediate response to disasters is an essential cost saving measure.

* "When Texans desperately sought higher ground, Ted Cruz climbed to the Parthenon in Greece :" https://www.advocate.com/voices/ted-cruz-absent-flooding

* It's part of the same fundamental pattern of behavior in Republican politicians. "In the wake of Kerrville, how so-called Christian Mike Johnson is leading a satanic cycle of suffering:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/mike-johnson-causing-suffering

* "Texas County Flagged Need for Flood Alarm Months Before Tragedy:" https://archive.ph/p2Ne9

* Somehow, Republicans find a way to make it all worse: "GOP's conspiracy theorist problem worsens as flood disasters trigger misinformation frenzy:" https://www.msnbc.com/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/gop-s-conspiracy-theorist-problem-worsens-as-flood-disasters-trigger-misinformation-frenzy-243057221742

* "Chris Hayes: ‘Start planning for the unexpected’:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/chris-hayes-start-planning-for-the-unexpected-243105861889

* "Why the Texas Floods Were So Deadly:" https://archive.ph/ptpZI

* "FEMA removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from 100-year flood map before expansion, records show:" https://apnews.com/article/texas-flood-camp-mystic-map-records-investigation-e12bee8d5f88301363861ca12c19b929

* "Flash flood threat in the Southern Plains as Texas still recovers:" https://abcnews.go.com/US/flash-flood-threat-southern-plains-texas-recovers/story?id=123708107

* "Inmates clear tornado damage to free Oklahoma family stuck for over a week:" https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-tornado-cleanup-inmates-607c1ff77dfc79d5b8539c2f08585c7a?

* "Many coastal communities are flooding more than we thought, researchers find:" https://archive.ph/PSoKC#selection-272.0-272.1

* "Poison in the water: the town with the world’s worst case of forever chemicals contamination:" https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/19/world-worst-case-of-pfas-forever-chemicals-contamination-kallinge

* "This Obscure But Powerful “Dark Roof” Lobby May Be Making Your City Hotter:" https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/06/dark-roof-lobby-white-reflective-roofs-laws-lobbying-urban-heat-islands/

* "'Sweating' paint keeps buildings cool even in hot and humid cities:" https://newatlas.com/materials/sweating-paint-buildings-cool-humidity/

* "Why taking apart buildings piece by piece is a climate solution:" https://www.npr.org/2025/06/13/nx-s1-5340709/deconstruction-recycling-climate-solution

* "Scientists in Japan develop plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours:" https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/scientists-japan-develop-plastic-that-dissolves-seawater-within-hours-2025-06-04/

* "New cheese packaging decomposes in 300 days, not 1,000 years: 'The solution was in the cheese itself':" https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/nestle-cheese-single-plastic-waste

* "In Atacama, Chile's driest desert, lettuce is grown with fog water:" https://archive.ph/9exp6

* "Fire-Eyes Of The Underworld:" https://www.noemamag.com/fire-eyes-of-the-underworld/

* "That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.:" https://archive.ph/e54oR

* "‘A Billion Streams and No Fans’: Inside a $10 Million AI Music Fraud Case:" https://www.wired.com/story/ai-bots-streaming-music/

* "'The models were right!' Astronomers locate universe's 'missing' matter in the largest cosmic structures:" https://www.space.com/astronomy/astronomers-turn-up-missing-matter-in-the-largest-structures-in-the-cosmos-the-models-were-right

* "Scientists puzzled by giant planet detected orbiting tiny star:" https://www.reuters.com/science/scientists-puzzled-by-giant-planet-detected-orbiting-tiny-star-2025-06-04/

* "The Unseen Fury Of Solar Storms:" https://www.noemamag.com/the-unseen-fury-of-solar-storms/?

* "Nearby Sculptor galaxy revealed in ultra-detailed galactic image:" https://archive.ph/PDO9J

* "For first time, Webb telescope discovers an alien planet:" https://www.reuters.com/science/first-time-webb-telescope-discovers-an-alien-planet-2025-06-25/

* "Astronaut becomes first Indian to set foot on ISS:" https://www.yahoo.com/news/first-indian-astronaut-arrive-soon-090909376.html

* "Menstrual Cups Tested in Space Flight Conditions for the First Time:" https://www.universetoday.com/articles/menstrual-cups-tested-in-space-flight-conditions-for-the-first-time?

* "Microbes are Evolving that Thrive in Spacecraft Cleanrooms:" https://www.universetoday.com/articles/microbes-are-evolving-that-thrive-in-spacecraft-cleanrooms?

* "A long-running experiment finds a tiny particle is still acting weird:" https://apnews.com/article/muon-fermilab-standard-model-physics-cb123cd20bfd8141dbf75de62804b32b

* "Shining a Light on the World of Tiny Proteins:" https://archive.ph/rYkIj

* "The science behind the smell of rain:" https://www.popsci.com/science/smell-of-rain-petrichor-science/?

* "The Wild Within the Walls:" https://www.biographic.com/the-wild-within-the-walls/

* "The Silky Anteater: The Life of the Tiny, Nocturnal Tree-Dweller :" https://www.arkinspace.com/2025/06/the-silky-anteater-life-of-tiny.html

* "Mish and Lucy the bears eat 'a week's worth' of honey after escaping from their enclosure:" https://www.nbcnews.com/world/united-kingdom/england-bears-escape-enclosure-honey-asleep-mish-lucy-rcna214921?

* "Maternal Iron Deficiency Can Trigger Sex Reversal in Mouse Embryos:" https://www.the-scientist.com/maternal-iron-deficiency-can-trigger-sex-reversal-in-mouse-embryos-73070?

* "Researchers thrilled after discovering critically endangered creature far from its usual habitat: 'A good sign':" https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/belalanda-chameleon-madagascar-discovery/

* "Healing Hearts, Tiny Wings: Mexico City's Hummingbird Sanctuary:" https://www.reuters.com/pictures/healing-hearts-tiny-wings-mexico-citys-hummingbird-sanctuary-2025-06-03/

* "A new study knocks down a popular hypothesis about why birds sing at dawn:" https://www.npr.org/2025/06/20/nx-s1-5436078/why-birds-sing-dawn-chorus-research-study?

* "Feather-legged lace weaver spider kills prey by covering it with toxic silk:" https://phys.org/news/2025-06-feather-legged-lace-weaver-spider.html

* "Sea spiders found farming methane-eating microbes in cultivated biofilm:" https://phys.org/news/2025-06-sea-spiders-farming-methane-microbes.html

* "Orcas in Washington are creating grooming tools out of kelp stalks:" https://nautil.us/scratch-my-back-and-ill-scratch-yours-1220231/?

* "The right touch: Octopuses' surface-sensing secrets decoded :" https://newatlas.com/biology/octopus-surface-sensing/

* "In Death, New Life: The Science And Symbolism of a Whale Fall:" https://atmos.earth/after-the-fall/

* "The History of the Ocean, as Told by Tiny Beautiful Fossils:" https://daily.jstor.org/the-history-of-the-ocean-as-told-by-tiny-beautiful-fossils/

* "236-Million-Year-Old Poop Fossil Reveals a Hidden Treasure — Oldest Evidence of Butterflies:" https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/236-million-year-old-poop-fossil-reveals-a-hidden-treasure-oldest-evidence?

* "Did the Romans Like Swearing?:" https://jamescoverley.substack.com/p/did-the-romans-like-swearing

* "Tibetan Musical Notation Is Beautiful:" https://www.openculture.com/2025/06/behold-tibetan-musical-notation-is-beautiful.html

* "The Invisible City of Tehran:" https://archive.ph/SWQfi#selection-579.0-579.28

* "Jewel Thais-Williams, activist and owner of legendary L.A. Black queer bar Jewel's Catch One, has died:" https://www.advocate.com/news/jewel-thais-williams-dies

* I am doing my best to adjust to spending most of my time in a 5' by 5' space. The cats are adjusting to the new routines. Livia's worked out the invaders only come when I wear clothes, which means for the long weekend, she only hides for a couple of hours during the lungs/food/chores portion and comes out again when I settle for the afternoon. They take turns sitting on me for loves while I read Bad Gays, which is turning out to be fascinating. I've been really enjoying all the ways Queer Studies scholarship is expanding and the intersectionality of research just generally like in the one I read about policing bodies in San Fransisco. There are so many documents available now that there was no or only limited access to back in the day.

They've been mostly hanging out with me in my desk/sofa space, which is kind of them. They still spend time in the window spots, watching birds and butterflies. I periodically find Livia standing sadly in front of her bedroom door, which I can't open for her for safety reasons. Mostly though, we hang out in a group.

It will be rough when hurry up and waits starts again Monday.

I am bruising myself less trying to sleep, but today I fell twice because there is only so much I can do to protect my joints in these conditions. The mystery rash I had for the two weeks of them forcing us to move my whole room contents is mostly gone and I am finding fewer mystery sores. Likely I was allergic to something in the dust all that kicked up. I am still having trouble with my sinuses because I can't filter the common area properly. There are too many gaps in the window around the air conditioner and I have to move the big ass air filter twice a day to service my fish tanks and it's heavy and adding extra bending and plugging and unplugging is just too many things. Really I need new filters, but that chance has flown for the summer given our finances.

I have instituted a new litter change routine as I now have no one to do it. I am bad at bending and worse at breathing while bending and litter dust is being kicked up, but it can't be helped. Squirrel has taken over trash. I wasn't us to moving lots of heavy things, which would be needed for the next making things more livable in the debris maze steps, so I've been working on reorganizing some things in the garden, which needed doing. I think I've got things squared away for the month. *digits cruciform* (Obviously there will be weeding. There will always be weeding).

* I've just been drowning here. The exhaustion is intense and I'm in week two of a bunch of my left side joints randomly dislocating or trying to dislocate. Usually in situations where I just had to keep hobbling regardless. I keep trying to adjust what little propping I can do, but I really, really can't protect my joints when I sleep without a proper bed.

I can actually feel my natural shoulder joint deteriorating under the stress and my artificial one is backsliding. I can't really manage much physio either given the givens. Most of it's physically impossible in the space I have, and what is possible is hampered by pain, exhaustion, and all the fucking extra physical labour i have to do to deal with HOA Construction Hell.

I still need to move a heavy thing back and forth twice a day for the benefit of the fish tanks, and I'm trying to do at least one other extra thing everyday on top of the usual stuff needing doing.

Monday it was so bad I couldn't raise my arms above my chest. There was nothing for it but to take a muscle relaxant for the benefit of my shoulders and neck, which is dangerous (see can't prop my joints in safe positions when I sleep in a 2' by 5' space). I took it early, in hopes that it would be mostly worn off by bedtime. Another downside is my body thinks even a half dose is a sleeping pill which carries it's own problems. I still hurt myself in my sleep, but the balance ended up in my favor.

So this meant I started Tuesday exhausted and behind with joints that kept trying and occasionally succeeded in popping in and out.

I didn't even manage all the basics Tuesday RL or online.

Wednesday, I heard them working above me, so I was pretty sure they'd turn up here Tuesday morning to squeeze me in, based on the pattern previously set. Job took all morning and I am pretty sure they are sneaking in one disabled person a day outside the HOAs demands they go systematically and fuck the disabled residents.

I'm not kidding when I say the construction workers have been incredibly kind and considerate from their head office to the teens that are just learning what to do.

I forgot to check my email, which I feel bad about as a Millennial had rearranged their schedule to cove my Thursday morning doctor's appointment. I panicked and moved it to September, which is not a bad thing really as we were going to talk next step on my joints and the next round of that is going to be strenuous and I haven't any spoons or time for that now.

It turns out Squirrel traded a shift so they can Construction sit while I do the rather more urgent dentist appointment scheduled three months ago for two weeks from now.

I spent Wednesday just trying to catch up on some of the things I couldn't manage Monday or Tuesday and honestly, mostly failing.

Thursday morning a whole crew showed up 9ish to work in my room until 11:30ish.

They replaced a lot of pipe in the ceiling and expanded the network of it. They put in some drywall. the whole thing looks wild as the assembly is sticking right out of the ceiling.

Next is another code inspection (Yay, up to code fire, water, and electrical things!). They think Friday or Monday, but can't promise as it's third party. After the nice fire system specialist comes by to do "Bio-safe caulking." Again, all for "Biosafe" and no leaks on my bed.

Then they build a box around the new sticky outie stuff, which is a two day process because stuff needs to dry.

The nice young man in charge of today actually apologized for things taking so long. I made clear I knew none of this was their fault and of course we need inspections. Seriously A++ on kindness and communication from Construction folks. **This is me glaring hard at Apartment management who earned their F**

He also let me know I was safe for the day, so I slipped out to the grocery store with things like safe for me salsa, and hit the produce place with the irregular hours that is near it. Like the Market garden down the street from me, they work with local farms, orchards, and nurseries. Their produce is better than any grocery store and fresher, but not as good as the Market Garden which is more expensive, but also has by far the best produce and town. Irregular produce place is run by semi-retired people, which is why hours are now short and less convenient compared to when they were full time. They also still take EBT and because they draw from larger small farms over a larger area, they had white nectarines, which no one else has just now. Market garden mostly draws from micro-farms and the like and if it's not in season or the crop is bad SOL. I haven't found white nectarine anywhere else yet this season, so I got two as a little treat.

I had time to put groceries away before City Guy and Honest City Contractor turned up for final paper signing on the City renovation. I explained construction Hell. They are planning to start late July/early August. I suggested they start with kitchen and bathrooms first and encourage the electrician to schedule us further out because I have no way to predict when I will have access to the walls of the living room.

Them: Are you sure you can manage this.

Me: We will manage somehow.

I am already trying to work out how much I can sneak back into the piles against my bedroom closet without breaking bed parts and what can be sacrificed access wise in an absolute emergency. There is so damned little leeway here. I am pretty sure I can't sleep in my bathtub. How many days can I go unwashed in high summer without clawing at my scalp and skin? If I deconstruct the debris maze and put it back with zero space sofa side, I won't be able to change the sofa if Tavy has an accident and will only be able to get in and out climbing over the arm. How many days can I do that without hurting myself and/or ruining the sofa?

Let us hope the nice people doing HOA Construction Hell are fast. Let us hope this all doesn't get any worse.

Livia didn't come out of hiding in her special secure hide until after four. (The secure hide is a multilevel hide with comfy sleeping spots under my desk. No one can see her and it is nicer than the debris maze if you are spending 7ish hours in there and don't happen to need a litter box. There are even toys to play with quietly in there and you can peer out the upper level without being seen). Livia saw me get dressed before eight and suspected Invaders were coming, clever girl.

Tavy was fascinated by the construction people going in and out of his room and the odd sounds in there, but the big loud power tool sounds were too much and he hid in the debris maze every time.

Because I knew they weren't coming back, I could bathe, which I very much needed after being out in the heat, but to do that, I needed to wash the bit of plastic shelving I scavenged... whatever day it was I went on the lap top repair quest. I don't scavenge soft furnishings for obvious reasons, but this is easily washable plastic, and I need replacement shelving for my towels. I am not 100% sure this will work, but I have hopes and it was normal outdoor furniture dirty, not suspicious dirty. Took it apart, went at it with a scrubby and dish soap. I'll reassemble it another day and duct tape the damaged bit.

* This morning I was inspected twice and caulked once. **waggle Brows**

They were also prebuilding structure for the thing that will stick out of my ceiling in the hall this morning.

This afternoon I heard power tools in the room above mine. I shall be on the look out Monday morning in hopes.

The next bit is two different days as they need things to dry in between.

We'll also need to repaint the ceiling in that area.

I want my room back so bad.

Putting it all back together is a massive fucking project, but just being able to really sleep... oh the luxury of it.

UPDATE: I just got an email that inspection and fire caulking for my floor and the one above are Delayed for Two Weeks, stretching the project out to end of August for my floor.

My suspicion that they’ve been slipping me and the even more disabled people above me in with the upper floor people to speed us us confirmed.

Wow, did we just dodge a bullet!

Thank you Construction people!!!

* "Jon Stewart on Who Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Really Helps — and Hurts | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "In pictures: Pride Month celebrations worldwide:" https://www.reuters.com/pictures/pictures-pride-month-celebrations-worldwide-2025-06-16/

* There is nothing like a periodic rereading of the Iliad to remind me just how much I hate the Gods and Goddesses. No, I don't hate them being in the narrative. It annoys me that they often get yanked out of the narrative or brushed aside in how people look at the Iliad because they are very much part of the point and woven deep into the plot and themes. What I mean it the fundamental arbitrariness of their behavior, their playing favorites, their breaking of their own rules causes so much misery and death and destruction. It's important and it parallels a lot of the same behavior in the human characters. It needs to be there.

The war itself is made because of decisions made by men and Deities. Both men and Deities make terrible decisions that prolong the war and end up harming their own sides. Both men and Deities fuck around and find out, but it's usually people who had little to no say who end up getting the worst consequences. Heroes cheat; Gods cheat. People die and die.

I can have no idea what the early audiences thought when they heard the oral formulaic versions. I can't know what the early audiences of the written version thought. I can't even know what classical audiences thought of oral or written versions. I have seen so much art made both from our text and other written and oral formulaic versions. I've spent decades thinking about the text we have in all it's richness and complexity and the complicated ways playwrights and philosophers portrayed both the human and demi god characters on one side and the gods on the other. I've wrote and thought and talked so much over the years about the human characters and the ways they illuminate and interrogate fault lines in ancient culture and the human heart.

I don't write much about the Greek Gods in the Iliad, though. Still I think about them, oh, do I think about them.

* "Sunday Sweets Goes To The Beach:" https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/sunday-sweets-goes-to-the-beach-2025

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

The help links are at the bottom under the cut.

* CW: Suicide "These hotlines are still available for LGBTQ+ youth after Trump kills 988 services:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-youth-hotlines-still-available

* "United States Disappeared Tracker:" https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/danielleharlow/viz/UnitedStatesDisappearedTracker/Map

* "Introducing Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network:" https://aflcio.org/2025/4/16/introducing-rise-federal-workers-legal-defense-network

* Here are some ways to help Immigrants and the anti-ICE Protesters:

Immigrant Defenders: https://give.immdef.org/give/545119/#!/donation/checkout
The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/
National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/nbfn-directory
Amnesty International: protect asylum-seekers: https://donate.amnestyusa.org/page/113080/donate/1
The Young Center for Immigtrant Children's Rights: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/
CHIRLA: https://www.chirla.org/
AL Otro Lado: https://alotrolado.networkforgood.com/projects/63833-al-otro-lado-fund
Mid-South Immigration Advocates: https://miamemphis.org/

* Want to help Nathan Sage against Joni Ernst? https://www.sageforsenate.com/

* Want to help Dr. Annie Andrews beat Lindsey Graham?" https://secure.actblue.com/donate/loc_annie_fr_txt_q22025?refcode=LOC_RTL_FR_2025.05.29_Lindsey-Bad-Job_B1_C1_Pros_N_Peony_RG-T1&amount=5

( More Links Underneath: )

A couple interesting things

I just ordered a dinner that was iron-heavy. Which I haven’t wanted to do for some time. I wonder if part one of iron infusion did, in fact, start to blow open the doors of my iron processing etc.

Looking back at my pre-surgical clearance I was not, in fact, fully healthy. But it is only obvious through hindsight.

Someone described me as "A bit niche, undeniably potent, and totally unimpressed with trendy nonsense." Trying to decide how I feel about this.

I am proof positive that the sun is different now than when I was a kid. Also LA sun is different. And who knew that a sunburn could get a sunburn?

The earth just keeps spinning

It is too much. Let me sum up:
Fired previous Dr. Hematology. I suggested an iron infusion and his reply was, "Your numbers don't support an iron infusion [I note he didn't order the most critical test that helps determine that], and I will closely monitor your labs." Those would be the labs he didn't feel were necessary on a weekly basis (so nothing to monitor) and that an appointment a week prior to the July date would be fine to rectify everything so the surgery could go as scheduled. Uh no. Not how bodies (and hemoglobin) work!

So got new hematologist who seems way more on top of things AND sees my medical care as a partnership. He ran the test previous Dr. Hematology missed (soluble transferrin, in addition to everything else) and it said iron infusion (because this is clearly iron functionality anemia, not deficiency; it's like my body's response to being roughed up in surgery was to put my iron on lockdown). Bit of an insurance hiccup (why don't we spell that hiccough any longer?) but it's happening today. They actually apparently happen in pairs so next is Wednesday. Should have labs drawn again then, too, and chat about what else we can do.

( Some medical explicitness ahead; you may wish to look away )

Hospitalization caused me to blow past two scheduled surgical dates. Missing the July date is not an option because I have to get home. I can't handle another extension (my original 6 month stay has doubled - with dates planned for July, October, January, and March, and staying for two months after that for more MLD therapy).

Ever onwards.