pecunium | Reading

I'm dealing with stomach flu that is keeping me up nights. Not fun. Today I slept like a rock -- until noon. I'm starting to feel better -- but I have no real concentration.

So I'm not doing links again until I feel competent. I used all my competence for today in posting my Stage of Fools story.

But I am reading whatever y'all write, and glad of it.

*hugs flist*

twistedchick

The Politifact website, which was a reliable place to check info, has been hacked. It's being used to skim money. Don't go there till this is cleaned up.

coffeeandink

These are very gossipy shallow reactions, but maybe I will get back into the swing of posting, who knows.

( Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S03E01 )

( Jane the Virgin S04E01 )

twistedchick

Rydra Wong has collected links on the horrible ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people in Myanmar, many of whom have gone to a refugee camp in Bangladesh, where the locals are welcoming but there is not enough of much of anything. Doctors Without Borders is there. (NYTimes at the last link) Why don't the Myanmar people like them? The Rohingya are Muslim, in a largely Buddhist country. Not all Buddhists are peaceful.

Apparently Roy Moore, fundy judge and Senate candidate, has received at least $180,000 for part-time work at a charity. Um. If that's part-time, I have to wonder how wealthy the charity is.

Trump's people are keeping unaccompanied immigrant minors from getting abortions. So. Be underage, get raped, be forced to have the child -- who, by being born here, would be a citizen. Or would they be born here?

The Ninth Federal Circuit Court has ruled that there is no constitutional right to sell firearms.

Dakota Access Pipeline update: The oil flows, but the fight continues.

Republicans are kicking people off food stamps.

Conservative leaders call on McConnell to resign, in order to resolve the legislative gridlock.

Rose McGowan's Twitter account has been locked since she posted about Harvey Weinstein's abuse.

An old-school pharmacy hand-delivers drugs to Congresspeople. And that includes prescriptions for Alzheimer drugs.

Out of control on contraception.

The growing use of mandatory arbitration, removing from people their right to a jury trial.

***

The photo ark. And more here.

How about conservation efforts for reptiles?

Black Elk, the Lakota medicine man turned Catholic teacher, is being promoted for sainthood. Is this problematic, and to whom?

Congratulations to the 50+ First Nations who defeated Trans-Canada's Energy East pipeline!

111 types of clothing that changed the world.

coffeeandink

The Good Place is such a delight I don't even know how to talk about it. All I want to do is burble.

If you're not watching it, it's a half-hour afterlife comedy about a slacker (Kristen Bell) who has been accidentally misassigned to the "Good Place" (Heaven) after her death, and has to keep the mistake secret from the powers that be (Ted Danson), while trying to figure out how to be a good person -- or at least a good enough person not to stick out. Fortunately for her, she's assigned a soulmate (William Harper Jackson) who was an ethics professor in life.

I don't know how to convince you to watch this. The show is so much stranger, more surreal, and sillier than the setup portends. It is hilarious and moving; it burns through plot like a brushfire (avoid spoilers, I mean it); and the cast is so good, I mean, they are so amazing, not just Bell and Danson, but newcomers like Jackson and D'Arcy Carden as an omniscient database and Jameela Jamil as a socialite philanthropist and Manny Jacinto as a surprising sweetheart. The first season is streaming on Netflix and the second season is airing now.

Spoiler note: the numbering for this season is confusing, since some sources consider the first hour, aired together in a single night, as a single episode. I don't. The latest episode I discuss below the spoiler cut aired 10/12/17.

( Spoilers have a thirteen-point scale where eight is the highest score )

twistedchick

In the late 1950s or so, how would a couple go about getting married in France? Was there civil marriage (I think there was but I do not know details)? Where would it be conducted? Would a Catholic marriage be refused to a couple if one was Protestant? Was a license needed, and from whom? In either case, was there a waiting period (such as required by banns elsewhere)? I probably wouldn't need to write the details, but it would help to know then so I wouldn't write the wrong thing.

Thanks very much!

twistedchick

Of course, this means the Grand Canyon is in Oklahoma, Juneau is part of the Yukon, and Texarkana is Arkana, but what's that to a cartographer?

twistedchick

The Rock Test -- a hack for men who don't want to be accused of sexual harassment. I approve this hack.

twistedchick

California: Burning. Here are the numbers -- but with the blaze moving at the speed of a football field every 3 seconds, and 0% contained, this isn't the last of it. Before and after photos.

Puerto Ricans are dying for lack of health care, food and water. Don't believe FEMA: they're saying "delivered" means stuff got to the port, not to the people. An eyewitness account from a former US Army staff sergeant and Cavalry scout.

Harvey Weinstein's having a no good very bad time of it. Women are coming out of every closet in NY and Hollywood and everywhere inbetween to talk about how he sexually harassed them, and worse. The list includes Angelina, Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, Gwyneth, and Rosanna Arquette. In each case the situation occurred when they were young and vulnerable actresses at the start of their careers, dealing with a man who could make or break those careers. Gwyneth says more here. And so does Jamie Lee Curtis. And a New Yorker article (reviewed here) does not mince words in its title: "From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein's Accusers Tell Their Stories. Oh, and his wife of 10 years is leaving him.

Yep. We've got a kakistocracy here.

***

In Utah, the cop who arrested and dragged a nurse out of the hospital, because she would not allow him to violate a patient's rights, has been fired.

In Massachusetts, suing Trump over the loss of contraception coverage.

The MacArthur Foundation announces its 2017 Fellows who receive genius grants.

I grew up playing bocce; it was what we all did at some family gatherings. Now Italy is trying to save the game, which dates from the Romans, from extinction -- which would also extinguish dozens of local dialects.

Friends Journal on talking to young people about conscientious objection.

The hidden truth behind Victoria and Abdul -- the relationship the royals didn't want known.

wordweaverlynn

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Crossposts: https://wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com/887279.html

twistedchick

Did you ever want to see where the birds migrate to? Watch.

twistedchick

Inside the CIA's black site torture room. Not a horror movie. A horror reality.

twistedchick

We are living through the birth pangs of a Third Reconstruction, and the Rev. William Barber describes exactly what that means.

San Francisco may require disclosure of antibiotics in meat.

28 cool independent bookstores in the US. You know of one that isn't here? Talk about it in comments!

I wish it wasn't necessary to write this: Best journalistic practices for covering mass shootings.

***

I am linking the Dept. of Health and Human Services draft strategic plan for 2018-2022 not because I want to torture you but because it includes such concept as "human life starts at conception" and goes on from there -- a specifically theological viewpoint that has no place in a secular government document.

And do not trust that the chapter titles are any real indication of what's in the chapter. This is classic doublespeak territory.

They're asking for comments. Give them comments, please.

***

From the New England Yearly Meeting of Quakers: the Healing Racism Toolkit -- an extensive compilation of sources online that is growing and modifying -- be sure to keep bookmarks of articles you find helpful.

Should women make their own pop music canon? Based on this article, I say yes.

Frances McDormand plays difficult women.

How cities can do better than the fight for $15 an hour.

4 less-known moments of resistance in sports history.

Status PR -- daily statistics on how Puerto Rico is recovering.

I may not have mentioned this, but a federal judge struck down a Florida county's "official prayer" practice.

Ashley Graham isn't a sample size, but she's a supermodel.

Undermining the rule of law at the EPA.

How to bring mindfulness into a journalism curriculum.

Why and how to let go of fear.

Believing in the Goblin King, and the kindness of David Bowie.

twistedchick

I am watching the horrible Speed 2 movie, because at the end of it for just a few minutes it shows the beautiful city of Marigot on the island of St. Martin, the way it was only a few weeks ago before the storms hit. Even for a few minutes, I get to see the place as it was, where we walked, where the spice market had heaps of fresh spices for sale, where the little bistro was and the cafe that had superb crepes.

It won't be like that if it is ever rebuilt, not again. But at least I can remember.

twistedchick

I thought about the Women's Group that I've been going to, and sent a letter to resign from it, with the reason that I'm "not a good fit" for it. ( and why, which is not in the letter. )

So, I've contacted the original groups organizer, gotten two names and sent emails to them asking if either of them has room in their group for me. I've stressed that I don't want to be the only retired person in the group -- which I don't think would be a problem because both of them are retired.

Wish me luck.

twistedchick

I am tired of the competition, the contest, the numbers game that gets played out in the news, and then on Facebook and elsewhere.

Which 'lone gunman' killed more people? Or was it at that school (which one?) What about small-group slaughters, like My Lai? Or Wounded Knee? Or the Wyoming Valley Massacre, during the Revolution, where a small group of British irregulars and warriors of half a dozen or more affiliated Indian tribes killed 81 settlers and took the rest captive? What about Pearl Harbor? What about Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Or the Holocaust? How about Alexander the Great (or the Infamous, depending on your culture) who wiped entire countries and cultures -- the battlefields running red with blood, and so were the streets of the cities --that would not bow to his army and become part of his empire?

( because it's long )

twistedchick

If you're using AIM to talk to your friends and family who aren't in the same room -- or state -- or country, find something else fast. It's shutting down in mid-December for good.

It's taken 27 years to happen, but DC will pay a former secretary in a sexual discrimination case concerning the Dept. of Corrections.

twistedchick

Let's do the bad news first:

ETA: Trump has 'rolled back' the coverage of birth control that was in the ACA. Now any employer can refuse to include birth control in health care coverage. My language in response to this would light the computer on fire.

LGBTQ Americans won't be counted in the 2020 US Census. There was going to be a separate question about sexuality; it has been removed. And the Dept. of (In)Justice now says discrimination against transgender people is legal. Also, they want to be able to fire good employees just because they're not het. You may freely imagine what should happen to Jeff Sessions now.

Betsy DeVos wants to rescind Title IX protections -- which will make it harder for sexual assault victims to report having been raped. I have no patience for this woman.

ICE has targeted sanctuary cities and arrested hundreds who had no criminal record.

In North Carolina, police wear body cameras, but by law the public can't see what's been photographed.

In Texas, tax-paid family planning funds were spent to pro-birth "crisis pregnancy centers," instead of being used for, say, actual family planning.

***

Thoughts against self-criticism.

8 gaslighting techniques for beginners. The response to the guy who said "it's already been explained" is, "So, that should make it easier for you to say it again."

TED: What I learned as a prisoner in North Korea and the warmth and wisdom of mud buildings.

Jimmy Carter on what he's learned from North Korean leaders.

Justice Sonia Sotomayer deconstructs the argument in Gill v. Whitford with one question.

An animated guide to nature's best pathfinding secrets.

Badass giant straw animals.

If you live in Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, or Washington state, and you want to travel anywhere by plane, the TSA won't accept your driver's licenses as ID. You will have to have a passport or other acceptable ID.

twistedchick

Ruth Bader Ginsberg shuts down Gorsuch's longwinded mansplaining with one sentence.

Wild horses and the inmates who gentle them.

You have Idris Elba's full attention.

Will the Equifax data breach finally spur courts and lawmakers to recognize that stolen data harms?

Please join the Electronic Freedom Foundation in opposing "The TSA Modernization Act", (S. 1872) which would allow the government to do facial recognition scans, fingerprinting and retinal scans "to identify passengers" on domestic and international flights. It is an enormous threat to personal privacy. Here's where you can email your Senators.

And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has created and recorded with friends a song to benefit Puerto Rico.

Egypt is holding two US Green Card holders in solitary, without charges.

Rep. Steve Scalise doesn't see the irony in his being aspeaker at an anti-LGBT hate group convention, considering that a lesbian police officer saved his life.

It seems that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly's personal phone -- which he has been using for business -- has been hacked. You could see that coming, couldn't you?

Musa Okwonga says this is the last personal essay about race he will write. Dealing with stereotypes in Germany and elsewhere.

fairestcat

Dearest Darlingist Yuletide Author,

I promise I will like anything you write me because it will be for me, in one of the tiny fandoms of my heart. And they are all tiny fandoms of my heart. There is little or no fic for any of my requested fandoms, so I can promise I will be equally thrilled by stories for any of them.

This year all my requests are for books or book series with canon queer relationships, but I’m also quite happy with gen in any of these fandoms, as long as the canon relationships remain intact. Several of my requested characters are bisexual (and one is in a canon het relationship), and I’m happy to have that aspect of their character/sexuality addressed in any fic you write.

I read het, slash, gen and poly fic pretty much indiscriminately, with a particular passion for poly fic, especially poly-fic about non-closed relationships. However, this year my requests have ended up being entirely about male or non-binary characters.

On the AO3 I’m

FairestCat.

I’m most active fannishly these days here and on twitter, where I’m also

fairestcat.

Also, I realize the below is A LOT of optional details, because I have too many thoughts and feelings about these fandoms, but optional details are optional, feel free to use or discard this information as you see fit.

Things I Love: queerness, polyamory, found family, emotional intimacy, friends to lovers, friends with benefits to lovers, enemies to lovers, age differences, shifting power dynamics, emotional h/c, AUs of any variety, time travel, future-fic, characters who are bad at feelings, relationship negotiations, trope subversion, cultural differences, class differences, self-destructive tendencies, unusual/experimental prose style (epistolary fic, interactive fiction, documents, etc.), moral ambiguity, loyalty, first times, banter, snark, historical details, unreliable narrators, trust, political maneuvering, unusual mythology, competence, porn with plot

Smutty Thing I Love: D/s, bondage, rough sex, orgasm delay/denial, edging, multiple orgasms, body worship, possessiveness, fisting, double-penetration, face-fucking, fingering, dirty talk, praise kink, strength kink, sex toys, biting, bruising, voyeurism, angry sex, pain play, humiliation kink, wall sex, consent play, partially-clothed sex, dub-con, rape roleplay, strength kink, spanking, gang bangs, overstimulation, a/b/o heats, impact play

Things I DNW: infidelity, jealousy presented as romantic, body horror, non-sexual humiliation, embarrassment, character death, unhappy endings, food kink, medical kink, mpreg, watersports, scat, vore, monogamous soulmates/soulbonds, public sex, animal harm, disparaging previous romantic/sexual partners, we're not gay we just love each other, bisexual erasure, non-con, knotting, daddy kink (except in limited amounts in Scientific Method Universe)

( Gun To My Head - Dira Lewis )

( Peter Darling - Austin Chant )

( Scientific Method Universe - Kris Ripper )

( Society of Gentlemen - K. J. Charles )

( Prosperity Series - Alexis Hall )

( The Turner Series - Cat Sebastian )