siderea | Network

Around 3pm I went for a brief walk around the block - which took me to a Bengali/Pakistani Halalia Grocery Store, where I bought Kidney Beans, and chocolate (because I'm ceiliac and couldn't buy anything else, also on a plant-based diet).

Then to Lofty Pigeons Book Store - where I browsed and bought three books. (It has a new writer's group meeting there at 6:30pm on 7/20 which is tempting, but I've not had much luck with amateur writer's groups? College writer's groups - yes, worked well. But you really need a professional teacher/writer moderating them in class format or they kind of fall apart.) ( book store antics )

Books that I acquired?

* VE Schwab's Vicious (which I've been eyeing for a while now. Schwab is odd - the author's name is in huge print, the title of the book in small print, you'd think it would be the opposite?)

* "Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett" - (the author of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries)

* "Dominion : the Silk and Iron Trilogy - Book One" by Jean Kwok" (it's a pretty book and well, rec'd by Illona Andrews...it's Asian folklore/myth featuring Tiger riders.)

I'm wondering about people on social media platforms like Twitter and Book Instagram? They keep asking things like...
( Read more... )
Where do these people live?

**
Today was lovely in comparison to the last five days? It was in the low 80sF, nice breeze, air quality at or around 69/71, no smoke visible in the air, blue sky, some clouds, clear.

Considering yesterday, portions of the city (not my area - I'm in an elevated area with fairly decent and new gutters, and not near rivers, creeks or oceans) got flooded. It rarely gets flooded any longer in my area. But Soho was under water (it kind of deserves it? Should clarify? Soho used to be a cool part of the city, then it got gentrified by real estate developers and turned into franchises, and they didn't clean the gutters and improve the infrastructure around it), Queens was (it is always underwater - it has the worst infrastructure). We had lots of thunderstorms and downpours yesterday - cleared off today. Along with most of the smoke.
***

I did exercises this morning - Tai Chi walking with weights (basically knee lift marching while holding and lifting 8 pound bar bells). Leg lifts with weights (6 pound weights), and yoga moves with knees, arms, and legs.

***

Television

* Lucky has a good cast, only three episodes so far on Apple. Stars Ana Taylor-Joy, Annette Being, Timothy Olphant, and William Fichtner (a favorite character actor as the main villain). ( Read more... )

These things are always convoluted. I'd classify it as violent femme noir.

* Rams - starring Sam Neil and Michael Caton, also Miranda Richardson. ( Read more... )

***

Question a Day Meme - August

17. It’s World Emoji Day! Do you often use them? If you do, what do you use most?

Not really. If I use them - it's usually laughter or a smile. And usually text or FB (which has them readily accessible).

18. Today, World Listening Day was created to draw attention to the way humans need to be listening to the world around us, including environmental awareness, soundscapes and acoustic ecology. What can you hear right now?

The air purifiers, fan, AC, and refrigerator - basically white noise. I barely notice it. There's a soft breeze outside. And in the distance, a jet or airplane. Also my breath. Peaceful sounds. Comforting sounds. I have a peaceful apartment - where for the most part - it's relatively quiet. I can hear birds, crickets and cicadas. This is not easy to find in Brooklyn or New York City, and still be in close walking distance to pharmacy, subway, grocery stores, book stores, library, and parks.

Oh as an aside? People keep saying that audio books count as reading? No. You aren't reading an audio book. You are listening to the book. ( Read more... )

19. 1922 American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller was the first to break the 1-minute barrier for 100m freestyle; swims 58.6s at Alameda, CA. Have you ever seen him acting in the Tarzan films? Do you have a favourite actor who portrayed Tarzan in a film or on TV?

Yes. He was horrible. A great swimmer but a bad actor. This was a trend - they did the same thing with Esther Williams. Neither had any acting talent whatsoever, also I did not find him attractive. (I've seen a lot of old movies on television in my life time - they used to show them a lot in the 20th Century - and honestly, it was all that was on back then.)

Favorite actor as Tarzan? Oh, Alexander Skarsgard. in the Legend of Tarzan - by far the best of the Tarzans. And I've seen all of them.

Alexander Skarsgard is one of those actors that I follow around. I will watch in just about anything.

andrewducker

Fire on Salisbury Crags (adjacent to Arthur's Seat).

Can't see the fire from here, but it's lighting up the smoke.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

ndrosen

At the farmers’ market this morning, I met a young woman passing out fliers for Democratic Congressional primary candidate Mo Seifeldein, who seems to be very much on the left, with views typical of the Democratic Socialists of America. He’s for Medicare for All, universal childcare, affordable housing, low prices, etc. Of course, I’m for affordable housing, but I understand economics. When I tried to explain that universal childcare would mean raising taxes on everyone, perhaps benefiting parents who wanted to send their children to childcare, but rendering those who preferred to have the mother stay home worse off, the young woman interrupted that taxes would be raised on billionaires, not on everyone.

My attempts to educate were her interrupted partly by her own words, partly by her handing out fliers to other people. I didn’t get so far as to tell her that the federal government is already running a deficit of six percent of GNP, and reducing that would require some combination of spending cuts and higher taxes on billionaires and ordinary people, without any new programs. Also, while it might be possible to raise taxes on billionaires enough to pay for this, that, or the other without wrecking the economy, there’s no possibility of taxing billionaires enough to pay for this, that, and the other. Countries like France and Sweden have progressive income taxes and un-progressive value added taxes to pay for all their government services, and France, for example, runs major deficits as well.

I plan to vote for incumbent Congressman Donald Beyer in the Democratic primary. He may not be my ideal, but he’s anti-Trump and not a loony leftist.

ndrosen

I bought a watermelon, with seeds, at the farmers’ market this morning; I haven’t bought a watermelon in quite some time, partly because it’s hard to find room for one in the refrigerator; also, the seedless watermelons you can find these days don’t seem to have quite the proper flavor. I’ll find out whether I have a good watermelon. Anyway, watermelon is one of the tastes of summer that I remember from my childhood, and don’t want to give up.

cosmolinguist

I didn't go to the gelli painting thing today (so I still don't really know what it is), because I'd made plans to go help J with some house stuff this afternoon. Being the henchqueer to my spooie friends again. But then they had too much headache and too little sleep so that didn't happen either. I didn't really mind, went to B&M just because I feel better if I've gone outside.

I made dinner, did the week's grocery order to get here tomorrow evening (bollox: I just realizedthat I shoulda got milk for D when I was at B&M; since he's not around we haven't had cow's milk for the last few days...). He'll be back tomorrow, but not before I've had to get up early to let the solar panel guys start. My alarm is set for an hour earlier than usual, so here's hoping I fall asleep soon!

wychwood

I keep seeing this new advertising campaign that seems like the worst "product looking to create its own market" I've ever seen. The billboards say:

"Low testosterone doesn't care how big your biceps are"
"Low testosterone doesn't care how much chest hair you have"
"Low testosterone doesn't care how manly you are"
"Low testosterone doesn't care how much you can lift"

And like... I'm just there looking at it, wondering why I'm supposed to care about low testosterone if it apparently doesn't have any negative impacts on my life or the things I associate testosterone with?!?

(I mean, obviously I personally don't care about having low testosterone, not least because my androgens are actually unusually high for a woman)

(but the theoretical I of the audience)

I don't know, maybe there really is some serious side-effect of low testosterone that people might care about, but this campaign just looks to me like it's saying WORRY ABOUT YOUR GENDER PRESENTATION! GIVE US MONEY!

Between that and the news stories about the US military introducing mandatory testosterone testing and free testosterone supplements, I'm feeling like there's some sort of masculinity crisis being invented right in front of me, it's so strange to watch.

redbird

I just got a fraud notification from my credit card company, so I'm going to have to go through the whole business of replacing my credit card, and updating stored payment information, again.

I just put my other credit card in my wallet. I don't use it much, but right now I'm glad I have a backup.

ETA: I called the credit card company, and the fraudulent charge they caught and asked me about wasn't the first, but at least the fourth. The one they caught was from Walmart, and after the rep listed another Walmart charge, I told him that all charges at Walmart were fraudulent.

The original message said I'd be getting a new card in the mail, and the person on the phone said it would be arriving by UPS in 1-2 business days. I didn't ask him to expedite it, but am glad he's doing so.

Current Mood: annoyed

moon_custafer

Friday night’s paintings of cat food and Beatrice.

A tie-dye experiment with a thrifted linen jumpsuit went awry when I realized the zipper in the side meant I probably shouldn’t microwave it as per the instructions, and would instead have to let it sit twenty-four hours before putting it through the wash. Popping it in a white plastic bag from the kitchen, I told myself “of course I won’t mistake this for a bag of garbage and throw it down the chute when I clean the bathroom tomorrow morning.”

You can all guess what happened.

I find my chief regret is that I’ll never know if the design turned out.

Air quality was much improved today, so we went down to the boardwalk. Did a sketch and took some photos, all of which I plan to work upinto paintings at the next session.

I’m also planning to go to this poster-making session Thursday for No Jets T.O.

Big thanks to

sovay for posting where one can donate to Namaygoosisagagun First Nation Response in the wake of the community having to up and flee from the wildfires.

moon_custafer

In which I try to figure out if the sign-painters’ apostrophes that annoyed me in this transcription of Marc Bolan’s The Warlock of Love (1969) were errors that had crept in, or part of the original text. Spoiler—they’re Marc’s fault; and/or the galley proofreader’s. That said, the weird pagination style seems to have come from the 1992 reprint by the Tyrannosaurus Rex Appreciation Society.

Still thinking about the poems themselves. Like T. Rex’s songs, I find them uneven, sometimes terrific and sometimes corny. I prefer the ones that read like Bolan didn’t reach for his thesaurus:

The vanquished Sun
Is like the withered yolk
Of a weathered egg.

Or the ones where there’s a punchline to cut through the gilding:

Sleek Andromeda swirling in an undershift,
a pimple temple like on her portcullis longship
lip. I dance on her gliding stomach of fibs and
erect my many coloured mast in her belly-button.
Take a cheekbone, any cheekbone, lay it pastely
on a furnace brasier and look for sand. Marrow
melts, mud squelches and belches over my
handsomely haunted hand but no sand.
A beach I whimper I need to bask upon a sun-dipped
dripping moon of beach. My face feels the draft now,
my shaggy face lags like a quilled pig — my bones
burnt and not a seed of sand remains only a high
forked pitch of light cine-marly sailing my sagging
dripping wood-wild skipping face.
And now reader I have only half a head.

missizzy

The air in the area has now dropped back down to code yellow, though there was a moment or so, when I made a quick run to the Giant a couple of hours ago, I could've sworn I still smelt smoke. I've largely spent the weekend in, doing my streaming and writing my contribution for Top Gale Week, and since it's one that fits today's prompt, I've managed to finish and post it today.

Title: It's in the Air
Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3
Characters: Gale/Lae'zel
Warning: Sex, with inappropriate use of telekinesis
Disclaimer: Just don't give her any more money, okay?
Note: Written for Top Gale week, for the prompt Pleasure Dom.

( The immortal god-king of the githzerai might have agreed to meet with the githyanki, but in the end, he refused to allow someone who wasn't even a gith to actually sit in on the negotiations. )

oglaf_comic_feed

https://www.oglaf.com/disengagement/

the_siobhan

There was a wild turkey in my backyard this morning. That was... definitely unexpected.

Smoke is gone! I am leaving the house today if only for the principle of it. Fingers crossed we get lots of rain in the north, because they could definitely use it.

Last night was moving into another fun part, so I got down about 500 words.

Day 19 Tally

Day 18 Tally

badly_knitted

warriorsavant

sylvanwitch

trobadora

goddess47

cornerofmadness

sanguinity

dswdiane

garonne

the_siobhan

( past tallies )

Let me know if I have missed your name at any point. And don't forget you can jump in (or out) at any time.

oursin

There was still a substantial amount of cornbread left, so no bread made.

Friday night supper: penne with bottled artichoke hearts in oil + chopped red bell pepper sauteed in some of the oil.

Saturday breakfast rolls: adaptable soft roll recipe, Marriage's Golden Wholegrain Bread Flour, maple syrup, raisins - turned out a little stodgy, I think using up the bag of flour because it was just past its best before may have made the proportions a bit off.

Today's lunch: kedgeree with smoked cod, served with padron peppers and baby pak choi stirfried with star anise.

purplecat

Panorama shot showing mostly dry grass and fencing, but there are patchwork fields beyond and a man to one side trying to consult his phone in the shade of an info-board.

This was a gentler walk than Day 3 and took us along several sections we had walked previously on a group holiday to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary.

( Picspam below the Cut )

Mellington Hall to Buttington Bridge: 13m/21km (Guidebook) with additional diversion to Welshpool 25.52 km (Strava)

gwydion

* Cut off early again. Sorry.

* "The U.S. Congressman detained by Israeli settlers in the West Bank:" https://www.npr.org/2026/07/14/nx-s1-5893769/the-u-s-congressman-detained-by-israeli-settlers-in-the-west-bank

******

* "Trump backtracks on plan to charge 20 percent fee for ships traveling through Strait of Hormuz:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/14/donald-trump-strait-of-hormuz-fee-backtrack-00996551

Basically the Gulf States promised him a big bribe to not do this terrible stupid thing so he tacoed.

* "Trump’s Iran Bluster This Week Revealed the Only Thing That Really Matters to Him:" https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/07/trump-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz-toll.html

* "US airstrikes hit northern Iran as it disables ship trying to run the blockade:" https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-hormuz-strait-war-july-15-2026-b7c592f269d822407dd6b5641602bf25

* "US hits more bridges in Iran in an expansion of its airstrike campaign:" https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-hormuz-strait-war-july-16-2026-f98ff56554de2336f0e85bb5fdcae769

* "More than 500 Rohingya vanished at sea - what happened?:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr59n096mrmo

* "More than 53,000 immigrants have been deported or repatriated by South Africa in a crackdown:" https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/more-than-53000-immigrants-have-been-deported-or-repatriated-by-south-africa-in-a-crackdown

* "Uganda: Military Seizing Government Critics:" https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/07/16/uganda-military-seizing-government-critics

* "Victim of antisemitic attack wants graffiti to remain to show family was targeted:" https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-12/adelaide-antisemitic-attack-victim-fierce-target/106907164

* "Nato leaders surprised by Turkish president’s gift of guns after summit:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/09/turkish-president-gives-nato-leaders-engraved-guns-and-bullets-at-summit

* "‘Enemies of civilization’: top Trump officials launch sweeping attack on left:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/16/political-violence-event-trump-marco-rubio

* "‘Enemies of civilization’: top Trump officials launch sweeping attack on left:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/16/political-violence-event-trump-marco-rubio

Republicans were out declaring all opposition to Fascism Terrorists on the Global stage. Every accusation a confession and a threat.

* "EU rejects Trump administration claims that ICC threatens US sovereignty:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/14/eu-rejects-trump-administration-claims-icc-threatens-us-sovereignty

Bet this is because they are afraid of arrest for their crimes.

*** Immigration/I.C.E/Autocracy/*** Most items are a little older below this point because I've been swamped.

* "Donald Trump's ICE agents killed two more men who were not the targets of their operations:" https://www.advocate.com/news/ice-maine-texas-killings

* "Trump says ICE should not give up traffic stops in wake of fatal shootings:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly8yrw597eo

* "Trump reverses ICE decision to suspend traffic stops despite two killings:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/trump-reverses-ice-decision-to-suspend-traffic-stops-despite-two-killings-2506681411882

* CW: Domestic Violence, Child Abuse. "Ex-wife says ICE agent who killed man in Maine had racist beliefs, violent tendencies:" https://www.npr.org/2026/07/17/nx-s1-5897460/maine-ice-shooting-brouillette

* "How did ICE hire him? Bombshell report reveals violent past of agent in Maine shooting:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/how-did-ice-hire-him-bombshell-report-reveals-violent-past-of-agent-in-maine-shooting-2506920003844

He should have been in prison not given a license to hunt and kill people without repercussions for his personal pleasure.

* "Prosecutors obtain long-withheld evidence on fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/13/renee-good-alex-pretti-minnesota-evidence

* "Man fleeing ICE killed by tractor-trailer on a Florida highway:" https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-fleeing-ice-killed-tractor-trailer-truck-florida-highway-rcna587539

* "Hayes: ICE killings expose illusion of Trump’s ‘quieter’ crackdown:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/hayes-ice-killings-expose-illusion-of-trump-s-quieter-crackdown-2506556483607

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

"Project Salt Box:" https://projectsaltbox.substack.com/
Links to Help organize in advance of ICE Occupation: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/807226885129060352?source=share
"When the Feds Come to Your City: Standing Up to ICE :" https://crimethinc.com/2025/12/03/when-the-feds-come-to-your-city-standing-up-to-ice-a-guide-from-chicago-organizers
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 Immigrant 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
"Know Your Rights:" https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights
"Disappeared In America:" https://www.disappearedinamerica.us/

* "Trump's White House speech shows he's the real threat to U.S. elections :" https://www.advocate.com/opinion/trump-voting-fraud-speech

* "Trump makes unverified claims of China ‘election meddling’ as critics fear ploy to challenge midterm results:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/16/trump-tv-address-thursday

* "How Trump’s address was bluntly aimed at destabilizing the US electoral system:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/16/trump-address-us-elections

* "When Trump accuses others of wrongdoing, you can bet he’s up to something himself:" https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/18/trump-speech-election-integrity

* "Trump repeated election integrity claims in primetime address. Here are 16 we've fact-checked:" https://www.snopes.com/collections/trump-election-integrity-claims/

* "Fact-checking Trump’s speech on alleged election tampering:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/instant-reaction-breaking-down-the-truth-about-trump-s-election-speech-2506809923839

* "‘CHERRY PICKED’: Former officials knock Trump’s document dump:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/cherry-picked-former-officials-knock-trump-s-document-dump-2506812483611

* "‘Silence is betrayal’: Warnock calls out Republicans who know Trump is speaking ‘nonsense’:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/silence-is-betrayal-warnock-calls-out-republicans-who-know-trump-is-speaking-nonsense-2506811971862

* "US TV networks split on broadcasting Trump’s election-focused speech:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/16/us-tv-networks-trump-speech

* "Trump’s dud election speech backfires; document dump contradicts his complaint:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/trump-s-dud-election-speech-backfires-document-dump-contradicts-his-complaint-2506930755756

* "‘Live threat to voting rights’: Sen. Jon Ossoff on Trump’s election conspiracy theories:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/live-threat-to-voting-rights-sen-jon-ossoff-on-trump-s-election-conspiracy-theories-2506596419693

* "US Mint to begin producing $1 coins featuring Trump:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/15/donald-trump-dollar-coin-00998818

It is illegal for live people to be on our money. Your move, Trump.

* A different old friend's brilliant reflecting pool idea here: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/822169344124616704?source=share

* I don't understand why Presidents are allowed to do insider trading, but here we are: "Trump Media launches paid data service to help Wall Street track Trump’s posts:" https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/16/trump-truth-social-wall-street-traders-api.html

* "Trump promoted companies on Truth Social days after buying their stocks:" https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/16/us/trump-stock-sales-truth-social-invs-vis

* "White House teleprompter operator placed on leave amid prediction market insider trading investigation:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/16/white-house-teleprompter-operator-insider-trading-investigation-01001203

* "Creative corruption: Trump still surprises with sketchy schemes:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/creative-corruption-trump-still-surprises-with-sketchy-schemes-2506937411802

* "E. Jean Carroll receives $5.6M from Trump in sex abuse, defamation case:" https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/14/trump-e-jean-carroll-sex-abuse-case.html

* "JD Vance can’t stop thinking about Joe Biden’s 'suggestive' ice cream tongue technique:" https://www.advocate.com/news/people/jd-vance-joe-biden-ice-cream

* I think we found more fraud, waste, and abuse: "JD Vance’s Secret Service Is Fed Up With His Absurd Requests:" https://newrepublic.com/post/213146/jd-vance-secret-service-fed-up-absurd-requests-son-helicopter

* "Secret Service balks as Vance seeks helicopter for son’s golf lessons:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/secret-service-balks-as-vance-seeks-helicopter-for-son-s-golf-lessons-2506678339884

* "Fourth person killed by agents from Trump’s Memphis anticrime taskforce :" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/08/memphis-federal-anticrime-agents-kill-man

* "He was having a mental health crisis. Memphis task force agents came and shot him:" https://www.npr.org/2026/07/13/nx-s1-5888618/memphis-safe-task-force-shooting-jonah-neal

* We need Court Reform desperately.

* "Trump’s 6-3 MAGA Court takes ‘SLEDGEHAMMER’ to the Constitution: Chris Hayes & Strict Scrutiny panel:"

( Embed: )

* "Heritage Foundation now targeting women’s sports after SCOTUS’ anti-trans sports ruling:" https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/07/heritage-foundation-says-title-ix-womens-sports-harm-mens-sports-feminine-graces/

Remember how we said banning Women and Girls from sports was the first step towards taking down title IX? Yeah.

* "The Fed, Inflation and Our Uncertain Economy | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart:"

( Embed: )

* "House Republicans push for $95 billion for Iran war, election measures and farm aid:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-republicans-push-90-billion-iran-war-election-measures-farm-aid-rcna587635

* "The House Passed The KIDS Act—The Senate Should Reject It:" https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/house-passed-kids-act-senate-should-reject-it

* "Congressman says Daughters of the American Revolution can govern themselves — unless trans women are welcome:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/ben-cline-daughters-american-revolution

The 1st Amendment says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievance."

I don't understand how making it illegal for trans women to be in a private organization doesn't violate the right to free association. Isn't the DAR peaceably assembling?

* "House passes bill to ‘ditch the switch’ and make daylight saving time permanent:" https://apnews.com/article/daylight-saving-time-house-passes-bill-53e7ffd1c3e9beddb9ab1601a8482ad5

It's going to be a bit up hill in the senate, but if we pass this it will save lives, by cutting traffic accidents the week of switch over.

* "Supreme court justices request $14.6m increase in security amid rise in threats:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/supreme-court-justices-security-budget

* "Trump intelligence pick Jay Clayton refuses to say Biden won 2020 election:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/15/jay-clayton-senate-intelligence-committee-hearing

Bill Pulte is a horror, but he doesn't look much better to me. Both are likely to interfere with the elections.

* "Blanche Faces Crucial Hurdle After Rocky Hearing:" https://archive.ph/0r6F4\

* "Trump AG pick vows to review the legality of mailing abortion drugs:" https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/todd-blanche-comstock-act-22346804.php

* "Taint of serving Trump haunts attorney general nominee:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/taint-of-serving-trump-haunts-attorney-general-nominee-2506699331868

* "Trump nominees struggle to avoid saying true things that would upset Trump:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/trump-nominees-struggle-to-avoid-saying-true-things-that-would-upset-trump-2506700355671

* CW: CSA. "Blanche meets with Epstein accusers after demand from Republican senator crucial to confirmation:" https://apnews.com/article/blanche-epstein-victims-tillis-attorney-general-3a5877e7cd70bf545fbf2d318188b0d9

* "Epstein survivor says acting AG Blanche was 'abrasive, condescending' during meeting:" https://abcnews.com/Politics/blanche-meet-epstein-victims-earn-confirmation-vote-sen/story?id=134823103

* "Lindsey Graham’s sister is taking his Senate seat. Who is she? :" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/darline-graham-nordone-about

* "Lindsey Graham may have lived deep in the closet. He made others suffer for it:" https://www.advocate.com/opinion/lindsey-graham-gay-rumors-death

* " Mitch McConnell’s bizarre hospital proof-of-life photo sparks memes and conspiracy theories:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/mitch-mcconnell-photo-memes

* "The Mitch McConnell mystery is solved. But it doesn’t look good for America:" https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/15/mitch-mcconnell-hospital-photo-silence

* "Mitch McConnell Absence Sparks Push To Change Congress Rules:" https://www.newsweek.com/mitch-mcconnell-absence-sparks-push-change-congress-rules-12198643

* "Do Your Phone Calls and Emails Matter? :" https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/do-your-phone-calls-and-emails-matter

* Our until Midterms 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.

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

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

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

"Swing Left:" https://swingleft.org/

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

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

* We are in primary season. States vote at different times, so I beg ALL of you to check when your state is voting. If you are in an in-person vote state, research ahead of time so you can vote for the candidate with views closest to your own. If you vote by mail, take the time to look them up when your ballot comes.

THIS is how you move the party further LEFT.

PLAN YOUR VOTE!!!

Primary schedule here:

* "2026 Statewide Primary Calendar:" https://www.270towin.com/2026-state-primary-calendar/

I don't know where you live, so I can't link this for you, but I find the Progressive Voter Guide online very helpful in narrowing down candidates in the often packed primaries where I live.

I also suggest looking at things like volunteer work and endorsements, because it really, really helps with things like sheriff and judicial elections, but can be useful in all sorts of primaries when you have multiple good options.

REMEMBER: Don't just vote for the big things like US Congress. Vote in every State and local race down to the smallest and on all the referendums.

State and local elections have a massive impact on your quality of life.

* Arizona Primaries! Don't forget to vote July 21!

* South Dakota Runoff! Don't forget to vote July 28!

* "Ohio Democrats accused of sacrificing transgender rights for votes:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/ohio-democrats-transgender-retreat

* "House Democrats’ preferred Arizona candidate draws backlash over anti-LGBTQ+ campaign attacks:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/arizona-democrats-anti-lgbtq-campaign

* "Sarah McBride went everywhere in Delaware and heard the same warning at all 57 stops:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/sarah-mcbride-57-stop-tour

* "Maine Senate candidate Jordan Wood wants to abolish ICE after deadly shooting — and reset Democrats:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/jordan-wood-abolish-ice

* "Trump-backed Senate candidate is linked to white nationalist influencer – his son-in-law:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/16/senate-trump-mike-collins-white-nationalism

* "Trump-backed game composer says LGBTQ+ people are ‘existential threat’ to Western civilization:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/marty-odonnell-anti-lgbtq-nevada

* "Thinking of life after Trump: Lots to repair but also opportunities:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/thinking-of-life-after-trump-lots-to-repair-but-also-opportunities-2506582083829

* "Republicans despair as tanking Trump takes them down with him:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/republicans-despair-as-tanking-trump-takes-them-down-with-him-2506574403651

* "Gunman killed after opening fire outside North Carolina gay bar:" https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/north-carolina-gay-bar-shooting

* "A Leak of San Francisco Police Drone Footage Exposes the New Reality of Urban Surveillance:" https://www.wired.com/story/sfpd-drone-video-leak-surveillance/

* "Depositions reveal how an Ohio school board’s hunt for LGBTQ+ ‘ideology’ began:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/ohio-teacher-pride-poster-deposition

* "I’m queer, not gay. It matters.:" https://www.advocate.com/opinion/queer-not-gay-op-ed

* "Man convicted in O’Shae Sibley hate crime killing sentenced to 20 years in prison:" https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/oshae-sibley-killer-sentenced

* "University of Kansas threatens transgender employee over bathroom use:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/kansas-university-transgender-bathroom-warning

* "Madison Square Garden sues Wired over report claiming venue kept LGBTQ+ celeb database:" https://www.advocate.com/news/madison-square-garden

* CW: Suicide. "Trump ended the LGBTQ+ youth suicide lifeline. One year later, the damage remains:" https://www.advocate.com/opinion/988-lgbtq-youth-one-year

* "National HIV Prevention Day: Awareness is my superpower:" https://www.advocate.com/opinion/prep-awareness-hiv-prevention

* "The Brain Disease: Huge Fibromyalgia Genetic Study Highlights the Brain and Offers New Treatment Possibilities:" https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2025/10/20/brain-fibromyalgia-genetics/

* "NIH Scientists Scanned CFS Brains: Here's What It Means for Fibromyalgia:"

( Embed: )

* "Dengue outbreak complicates Bangladesh measles crisis response:" https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/dengue-outbreak-complicates-bangladesh-measles-crisis/

* "A country that made huge progress on measles now reports 120,000 cases:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj0gel72mlgo

* "What queer people should know about the 'diarrhea parasite' ruining our summer salads:" https://www.advocate.com/health/cyclospora-salad-queer-people

* "Trump’s CDC Stopped Monitoring Explosive Diarrhea Parasite Before Outbreak:" https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-cdc-food-net-monitoring-parasite-cyclospora-12180951

Republicans insist preventing this was "fraud waste and abuse" just like preventing and eradicating screw worm. After all, which would you rather have: tax cuts for billionaires and explosive Diarrhea from cyclospora or healthcare and not that?

* "Experts warn of ways screwworm could spread in the US and new difficulties in keeping it at bay:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/12/new-world-screwworm-infestation-cattle-industry

* "The extreme heat to come: Could Spain reach 50 degrees Celsius? :" https://english.elpais.com/climate/2026-07-14/the-extreme-heat-to-come-could-spain-reach-50-degrees-celsius.html

* "More than 800 Canadian wildfires burning as air quality alerts extend to US:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0m7n427xd8o

* "Smoke Pushes Air Quality to Dangerous Levels for Millions:" https://archive.ph/RkMG4

* "Texas flash floods leave at least 2 dead in region devastated last year:" https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/floods/texas-flooding-surges-huge-rainstorms-rcna587826

* "Uganda suspends school trips after 20 pupils die in bus crash:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c151gegwqv1o

* "The Iran war has pushed some countries away from oil and toward clean energy:" https://www.npr.org/2026/07/09/nx-s1-5872786/iran-war-evs-solar-energy-transition?

* "Benjamin Franklin’s Battery of Lovers:" https://allthingsliberty.com/2016/06/benjamin-franklins-battery-of-lovers/

* "How “Talkies” Disrupted Movies for Deaf People:" https://daily.jstor.org/how-talkies-disrupted-movies-for-deaf-people/

* "This 1919 gay rights movie was almost erased from history:" https://xtramagazine.com/video/gay-silent-film-history-282888

* "This Filipina Spy Used Her Leprosy as a Cover to Thwart the Japanese During World War II:" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-filipina-spy-used-her-leprosy-as-a-cover-to-thwart-the-japanese-during-world-war-ii-180984226/

* "The Extremist in the Family:" https://magazine.atavist.com/2026/pilands-michigan-child-death

* "Non-Binary Awareness Week:" https://happymind.co/inclusion-calendar/non-binary-awareness-week/

* Kitten Pics! https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/822264876248498176/shes-curled-up-so-looks-smaller-than-she-is?source=share

* Way more Cat pics: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/822342681332203520/clawdias-cave-livia-and-saffy-doing-peaceable?source=share

* Thursday was a series of failures and frustrations. We crated and I transported the kittens, but a miscommunication meant their appointment is postponed until next week. I should have called to see if there was an issue earlier in the week when there were no reminders. Plus I need to call them beforehand to sort out a paperwork issue which was absolutely my fault.

The paperwork thing is the third groove I've skipped in the last week and a half or so. I am used to relying on my brain, but I've been sick four four months and next week we are likely discussing samples and a third antibiotic and with that and the air quality, my brain is made of fog and everything is horrendously exhausting. What is normally a mild dyslexia that I barely ever notice ramps the fuck up into a problem when I am this ill. I misread things. The typos and word switches multiple exponentially in my typing. I hate it.

Apparently also, multiple people have been frantically texting my landline all month with important messages. One of the people was a cleaner quitting as her schedule was too full. I do not blame her. It's not a lot of hours. It's very flexible, designed to cram between other things, but it's not as attractive as say 20-40 hours somewhere else. The other was the New Guy calling out for a family emergency. I had promised people I'd be on line for a thing, but I thought he was having traffic, so I waited for him to arrive so I could set him up. He did eventually think to call me. I have given him the other eight hours, which means I also need to stay up to call asshole Agency tomorrow to set him up so he can grab them before month's end.

Plus all the other stuff piling up and piling on while just get weaker. At least the online thing went well, but I feel like an asshole making everybody wait while I waited for someone camped in a hospital.

* Friday 1:40AM: You will be pleased to learn, despite her best efforts of late, Clawdia did not break the living room air conditioner just before bed as feared. Also, my pillows are drying well. Alas, the bed not so much. I changed the cloths. In an hour or two I will check pillows again and if they are fully dry, adjust fans better for the mattress.

The scale of the kittens' grand gaudy bed mess from earlier was such that I didn't get food of meds until nearly 11PM, and then still had to sort forage delivery, which took ages as I had an extremely active Cat in Box situation. Let us all hope no one gets the blerps as my bed is naked since the cat cover went into the washer too.

Everything was fine. I got up to go to the bathroom before getting dressed, but came back to chaos. I know a Kitten or Kitten did it as it's been over six years since Livia showed any interest in the headboard meds shelf and it was clearly a cascade event involving knocking a bunch of urgent to read books about which ended up with the water tumbler soaking pillows and bedding, but luckily missing the tissue box and ILL.

Cats.

* "John Leguizamo on SCOTUS's Birthright Ruling & the Right-Wing Freakout That Ensued | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "America Gets Diarrhea, CDC Has No Money to Help & Iran War Budget Explodes | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* Academia, "Cheating," and A.I.: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/822442034913738752/i-have-a-high-reading-rate-and-a-high?source=share

* An amusing quicklie Explanation of Nigel Farage and Count Binface, intergalactic dictator of the Recyclons from Sigma IX:: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/822556758067249152?source=share

* Trans Masc musicians: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/822265416641544192?source=share

* "Odd Obstinate Odysseus:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/B0UeYJYlVBY

* "Hospitable Hospitallers:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/266nOsKKQW0

* "Temporary Templars:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UuV5RfjZ5sA

* "Trampling Templars:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rq5FfSFc2ts

* "Trying Templar Trials:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K0Eahw-83EQ

* "Conspiratorial Co Kings:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lXZfkMacS8U

* "Feudal FOMO:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4dyoEgExsOE

* "Feudal Football Fans:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2bWe80pZ8S0

* "Salacious Scintillating Scandals:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GEwGQLHsg9k

* "Italian War Interludes:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6GGdgNAUb58

* "Black Day In July - Gordon Lightfoot:"

( Embed: )

* "Bastille Day celebrations held in France:" https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World/Photos/Bastille-Day-celebrations-held-in-France/16726/

* Someone else's very clever thing on the Lestat incest thing and Louis' reaction: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/822171622425395200?source=share

* "Pala and Kuskurr and Turkat:" https://www.tumblr.com/steampunktoy/822016097968619520?source=share

*****
* 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.

* It is important we flip the US Senate in November!

Here are some key Campaigns to Donate to:

James Talrico, Texas: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/jt-tx-web
Roy Cooper, North Carolina: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/em-cgp-2025-cooper
Mary Peltola, Alaska: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dw_aksen
Josh Turek, Iowa: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dw_iasen

I am still furious at Sherrod Brown for throwing trans people under the bus last election. At the same time, we need the Senate, so I will post the donation link and leave it to the individual conscience.
Sherrod Brown, Ohio: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/subodh

* Want to help Jennifer Jenkins and Southern Progress PAC piss of Queerphobic and Misogynistic Repubblicans? https://secure.actblue.com/donate/s-partner_loc_jj_em_southernprogress

* "Transcontinental Pipeline:" https://tcpipeline.org/steps/

* "Swing Left:" https://swingleft.org/

* "2026 Statewide Primary Calendar:" https://www.270towin.com/2026-state-primary-calendar/

( More )

yuuago

Various things I've read recently:

* The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo. Set in Madrid during the time of the Spanish inquisition. A scullery maid uses small magic to get through the day; her employer discovers this and uses these "miracles" to better the house's social position. I really really enjoyed this one; it was very absorbing. I had it in audio, and I kept looking around for more reasons to listen to it. This is a novel where the time period and setting are not just set dressing; they're fully integrated and important to the story, and I like that.

* Moby Dick by Herman Melville. The famous search for the White Whale (and Ishmael's slashy vibes with Queequeg). I thought I was prepared for Ishmael's whale digressions, but I was not. This is such an odd book. If it were only the plot, it'd be half the length, if that. I'm glad that I read it, but I don't think I will read it again.

* The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. More like a collection of vignettes than a novel, following the activities of a small family staying on an island during the summer. A few friends have recommended this to me, partially because I like this author's other work and partly because it "seems like something you would enjoy". Unfortunately, I didn't like it overmuch. I did enjoy the grandmother, and all the quiet little moments, but I have very little patience for small children, and I found Sophia grating because of it. I've seen the recent film adaptation (released in 2024) and enjoyed that quite a bit; Sophia is much more mellow there. So I was looking forward to the novel, but... No. Quite a bummer, because it has so many ingredients that I like, but alas one of the main characters is like tomatoes in a quiche: Not For Me.

* Currently reading: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Set in Canada during a fictional pandemic. I've only just started it, so I can't say much about it except that so far the writing is pretty good. But the phone call about the Georgian Flu sure is a thing. I can't help but find myself wondering how I would have received this book had I read it prior to 2020, preferably at the height of SSSS fandom. I bet I would have loved it then.

$mdlbear: blue fractal bear with text "since 2002" (Default)$

mdlbear

Not a bad week. Missed a day of walking due to time confusion. Two days if you don't count the roughly .6km going to and from PT. Got a new set of exercises - these are supposed to be three sets each, every other day. I had to buy 1kg dumbbells and a set of resistance bands.

On the other hand some things, mostly paperwork, got kicked down the street for another week. But on the gripping hand I got some things done! In particular, setting up WordPress for the new version of N's author site. (It won't be up until next week sometime. Or later. I'll let you know. Meanwhile consider buying her book.)

I also wrote about five years without Colleen, but since you're reading this I assume you've seen it.

Linkies: When Germany Built a Flying Train 125 Years Ago, a City Coalesced Beneath It. It Has Moved Royalty, Commuters and Tourists—and One Elephant—Ever Since Enthralling: An interactive introduction to the terrific experience of rendering Arabic typography and its technical debt Legendre Transform Explained: One Picture, Five Fields APOD: 2026 July 18 –Shadow and Rainbow - APOD is often beautiful, but this is one of their best.

( Notes & links, as usual )

Current Mood: productive
Current Location: Schildhaven in Den Haag
Current Music: not enough practice

mildred_of_midgard

10:07. Probably really 10:04, since I had bad luck with a car that wanted to go through an intersection the same time as I did. It won.

I was aiming to hold a consistent pace (didn't really manage, but tried), and aiming for 9:55-10:00. Still learning to pace myself.

Breathing hard, not lungs burning. Heart rate ~170-174, not 171-179. No sprinting. Definitely more fun than yesterday.

vyvyanx

There's a lake at the end of our road, which we often walk round. It supports a pair of swans, a substantial colony of mallards, the occasional heron and little egret, a few coots and moorhens, and this year, for the first time, a pair of little grebes. Today, one of the (usually extremely shy) grebes was in evidence, accompanied by five absolutely tiny chicks, one riding on the parent's back. They're delightful creatures, and quite make up for the lack of cygnets this year. (I suspect both the swans are actually male...)

sennashi_dorei

Great night sleep! Waking up to a great day! Currently isolating a little heavy, I have my fingers crossed that I might go to the park later today!

Sibylla Bostoniensis

If you wanna know the future, simply look into the past

A walk to the bookstore among other things...

Photo cross-post

A DSA Candidate for Congress

Watermelon

From NY bedroom window I can still hear the kids playing outside, and I'm past my bedtime!

WORRY MORE ABOUT YOUR BODY IT IS THE LAW

here we go again

Weekend Report II: The Weekening

Weekend Report

(no subject)

Disengagement

Write Every Day: Day 19

Culinary

Offa's Dyke Day 4: Mellington Hall to Welshpool

7/14/26 - 7/19/26

Recent Reads

Done Since 2026-07-12

Steady on

Grebes

(no subject)

About

July 2026