![[desperately] Maybe this is from some country where they use commas as decimal points, and also as digit separators after the decimal, and also use random other characters for decoration???](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/reading_a_big_number.png "[desperately] Maybe this is from some country where they use commas as decimal points, and also as digit separators after the decimal, and also use random other characters for decoration???")
podcast friday
Jun. 13th, 2025 07:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabotabbyI dunno, why not make yourself more anxious this week. It Could Happen Here has the ability to send James Stout, an experienced war journalist, to LA to cover the uprising against ICE kidnappings. There's a lot of coverage in today's episode, which I'm currently listening to, but for detailed reporting, listen to "On the Ground in LA."
The scale of the so-called riots will surprise you—they surprised me, and I've been to LA. It's a very big city and unlike during the wildfires, very little of it is actually on fire. The uprisings, which are direct responses to people's families, neighbours, and colleagues being kidnapped by an out-of-control paramilitary organization, are actually only a few thousand people. Which is not to denigrate the bravery of those people—quite the opposite!—but to poke holes in the regime's propaganda.
P.S. If you are going to a protest this weekend, please ignore that "non-violent wave" thing and other similar memes going around. It is an op. If violence erupts and you do not want to be involved, don't sit down. Get out of there. I do not want to see a generation of young protestors with traumatic brain injuries, please. Also avoid bridges (don't let yourself get kettled or arrested en masse), and if you get teargassed, use water, not milk or anything else. Stay safe, I love you.
The scale of the so-called riots will surprise you—they surprised me, and I've been to LA. It's a very big city and unlike during the wildfires, very little of it is actually on fire. The uprisings, which are direct responses to people's families, neighbours, and colleagues being kidnapped by an out-of-control paramilitary organization, are actually only a few thousand people. Which is not to denigrate the bravery of those people—quite the opposite!—but to poke holes in the regime's propaganda.
P.S. If you are going to a protest this weekend, please ignore that "non-violent wave" thing and other similar memes going around. It is an op. If violence erupts and you do not want to be involved, don't sit down. Get out of there. I do not want to see a generation of young protestors with traumatic brain injuries, please. Also avoid bridges (don't let yourself get kettled or arrested en masse), and if you get teargassed, use water, not milk or anything else. Stay safe, I love you.
SGA: Walk Beside Me by Rachel500
Jun. 13th, 2025 08:16 pmmific posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fancakeFandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: Gen. Teyla Emmagan & Sam Carter, Evan Lorne
Rating: Teen
Length: 8824
Content Notes: canon-typical violence, minor character death
Creator Links: Rachel500 on AO3, ArwenLune on AO3, ArwenLune on Audiofic Archive
Themes: Female relationships, Action/adventure, Friendship, Women being awesome
Summary: When a diplomatic mission is interrupted by the Wraith, Sam and Teyla wrestle their personal demons to work together and find a way back to Atlantis.
Reccer's Notes:
This is set soon after Sam Carter comes to Atlantis to replace Elizabeth, and both she and Teyla initially grapple with her new role. Teyla, unlike John and Rodney, had no prior knowledge of Sam Carter and can't help missing Elizabeth and not fully trusting Carter. Then a mission goes badly wrong and they're thrown together, and have to find a way through their feelings as they deal with the dangerous situation. It's a gripping read with interesting character explorations and a satisfying ending. There's also a podfic version, excellently read by ArwenLune.
Fanwork Links: Walk Beside Me on AO3
And the Podfic, read by ArwenLune
Characters/Pairings: Gen. Teyla Emmagan & Sam Carter, Evan Lorne
Rating: Teen
Length: 8824
Content Notes: canon-typical violence, minor character death
Creator Links: Rachel500 on AO3, ArwenLune on AO3, ArwenLune on Audiofic Archive
Themes: Female relationships, Action/adventure, Friendship, Women being awesome
Summary: When a diplomatic mission is interrupted by the Wraith, Sam and Teyla wrestle their personal demons to work together and find a way back to Atlantis.
Reccer's Notes:
This is set soon after Sam Carter comes to Atlantis to replace Elizabeth, and both she and Teyla initially grapple with her new role. Teyla, unlike John and Rodney, had no prior knowledge of Sam Carter and can't help missing Elizabeth and not fully trusting Carter. Then a mission goes badly wrong and they're thrown together, and have to find a way through their feelings as they deal with the dangerous situation. It's a gripping read with interesting character explorations and a satisfying ending. There's also a podfic version, excellently read by ArwenLune.
Fanwork Links: Walk Beside Me on AO3
And the Podfic, read by ArwenLune
Still Alive, Still Breathing, Still not Giving Up
Jun. 12th, 2025 02:37 pmnyykiOkay, I think the first rough draft of Déjà vu 3: Presque Vu is done. I don’t do rough drafts much at all, because I tend to know what I want to say and how to get there, but this one is sort of like a fighter jet flying over Europe and passing all the small villages at supersonic speeds, so I’m sure there’ll be places where I’ll want to expand on things or put in scenes I skipped. It sits at 303 pages right now, the shortest of the trilogy. This one is the most science heavy of the three, though less involved in quantum mechanics than in information theory. I have no idea for a cover yet.
What’s next? No idea. I think there’s a decent probability that I’ll spend some time working at short lengths, and I’ve got the dribbling’s of another His Majesty’s Lieutenant Inspector Peep story rolling around in my head, but there’s also the possibility I’ll get back to the Holly and the Wizards novels – at least with those I’ve got clear book covers in mind for them.
One of the frustrating difficulties is that I’m feeling isolated again. It’s been worse this year, though I was spared the dark days of early April this time around. Digital communication doesn’t have the full range of experience in person interaction does, and this is my primary digital forum save for the PBEM games I’m in, which are doing the Summer Lag because so many people are taking vacations and spending more time outdoors instead of inside with their computers for company. The quarter century noniversary of my divorce is coming up in twelve days, so that’s something, and since I’ve had to Any Port in a Storm my reading choices I’m dealing with three-dimensional characters in formula plots with happy ever after terminations. And why does it seem to be the mandatory thing to have a love triangle in a YA or NA novel? That is, like totally, so done to death. Is it aimed at female readers because they put themselves in the place of the female lead and the idea of having two males both wanting her is somehow attractive? And while I’m at it, what is the fascination of guys with facial hair? Is it some sort of virility dynamic, or a mountain man fantasy, or something I’m missing because I like smooth faced faces that won’t scrub my skin like a nylon dish scrubber? Maybe it’s in the same league with that forearms thing.
So yeah, my head is giving me difficulties again. But still…
Like one on a lonely road, who walks in numbness defined,
And having looked ‘round walks on, and looks no more behind,
‘Cause she knows that nobody, nothingness, is all that she will find.
Sort of sums it up for me right now. Excuse me while I find something else to distract me from this mood – it’s so useful to be able to pull the wool over my own eyes when I need to.
What’s next? No idea. I think there’s a decent probability that I’ll spend some time working at short lengths, and I’ve got the dribbling’s of another His Majesty’s Lieutenant Inspector Peep story rolling around in my head, but there’s also the possibility I’ll get back to the Holly and the Wizards novels – at least with those I’ve got clear book covers in mind for them.
One of the frustrating difficulties is that I’m feeling isolated again. It’s been worse this year, though I was spared the dark days of early April this time around. Digital communication doesn’t have the full range of experience in person interaction does, and this is my primary digital forum save for the PBEM games I’m in, which are doing the Summer Lag because so many people are taking vacations and spending more time outdoors instead of inside with their computers for company. The quarter century noniversary of my divorce is coming up in twelve days, so that’s something, and since I’ve had to Any Port in a Storm my reading choices I’m dealing with three-dimensional characters in formula plots with happy ever after terminations. And why does it seem to be the mandatory thing to have a love triangle in a YA or NA novel? That is, like totally, so done to death. Is it aimed at female readers because they put themselves in the place of the female lead and the idea of having two males both wanting her is somehow attractive? And while I’m at it, what is the fascination of guys with facial hair? Is it some sort of virility dynamic, or a mountain man fantasy, or something I’m missing because I like smooth faced faces that won’t scrub my skin like a nylon dish scrubber? Maybe it’s in the same league with that forearms thing.
So yeah, my head is giving me difficulties again. But still…
Like one on a lonely road, who walks in numbness defined,
And having looked ‘round walks on, and looks no more behind,
‘Cause she knows that nobody, nothingness, is all that she will find.
Sort of sums it up for me right now. Excuse me while I find something else to distract me from this mood – it’s so useful to be able to pull the wool over my own eyes when I need to.
The So-called "Big, Beautiful Bill"
Jun. 12th, 2025 02:51 pmfabrisse posting in thisfinecrewToday, my representative in Georgia, Buddy Carter - Republican, District 1, wrote an Op-Ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution urging our senators to vote for the Frankenstein abomination known as the "Big, Beautiful Bill."
(The Op-Ed is behind a paywall, but can be found here: https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2025/06/buddy-carter-sens-ossoff-warnock-should-support-trumps-big-beautiful-bill/ )
I wrote an email to Carter explaining why I thought he was wrong, and then adapted the language to send to my senators asking them to stay strong against it.
Because this bill is such a Frankenstein's Monster, I chose to limit my comments to the environmental issues which would have both direct and indirect impacts on Buddy Carter's district. I urge all of you who have Republican Senators to find sections of the bill to read which will have direct negative impacts on your state. If your representative voted for it, send them an email censuring them for those same negative impacts. Then write to both senators using the first email as a template.
My email addressed sections:
80152. Rescission relating to environmental and climate data collection.
80201. Rescission of funds for investing in coastal communities and climate resilience.
80202. Rescission of funds for facilities of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and national marine sanctuaries. [nb: this is especially important for hurricane regions and areas with a fishing industry, though I also pointed out the pods of dolphins off of our local Jeckyll Island State Park would be affected.]
80308. Timber production for the Forest Service.
80309. Timber Production for the Bureau of Land Management.
[The latter two will have adverse effects on air pollution levels, but there are whole sections on coal production and offshore drilling for oil and natural gas which will contribute to air pollution directly.]
80202 will also adversely impact tornado zones.
Let's work to defeat this bill.
(The Op-Ed is behind a paywall, but can be found here: https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2025/06/buddy-carter-sens-ossoff-warnock-should-support-trumps-big-beautiful-bill/ )
I wrote an email to Carter explaining why I thought he was wrong, and then adapted the language to send to my senators asking them to stay strong against it.
Because this bill is such a Frankenstein's Monster, I chose to limit my comments to the environmental issues which would have both direct and indirect impacts on Buddy Carter's district. I urge all of you who have Republican Senators to find sections of the bill to read which will have direct negative impacts on your state. If your representative voted for it, send them an email censuring them for those same negative impacts. Then write to both senators using the first email as a template.
My email addressed sections:
80152. Rescission relating to environmental and climate data collection.
80201. Rescission of funds for investing in coastal communities and climate resilience.
80202. Rescission of funds for facilities of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and national marine sanctuaries. [nb: this is especially important for hurricane regions and areas with a fishing industry, though I also pointed out the pods of dolphins off of our local Jeckyll Island State Park would be affected.]
80308. Timber production for the Forest Service.
80309. Timber Production for the Bureau of Land Management.
[The latter two will have adverse effects on air pollution levels, but there are whole sections on coal production and offshore drilling for oil and natural gas which will contribute to air pollution directly.]
80202 will also adversely impact tornado zones.
Let's work to defeat this bill.
Protest Cuts to Medicare/Medicaid/CHIP - aka Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill"
Jun. 11th, 2025 03:49 pmsquidgiepdx posting in communityactionusaThe US Budget Bill is targeted to give $1Trillion in tax cuts to Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and other billionaires and millionaires. And to pay for it, they are proposing $880Million in cuts to "multiple programs" that include Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program, SNAP (food assistance), the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), among others.
Republicans are telling the truth when they say their bill does not mention Medicare or Medicaid explicitly (fact check link). However, the changes will be made by the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has oversight into Medicare, Medicaid, the FDA, Energy regulation like nuclear safety, climate programs, and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). But the thing is, Medicare and Medicaid, along with SNAP and the FDA make up the largest part of their budget. So in order to give $1Trillion in tax cuts to people who don't need it, the only way to do it is to cut programs that people rely on every day.
Who to send a letter or postcard to:
- Trump himself (remember, you don't have to use your name!): 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20500
- Your single Congressperson and Two Senators (click here to get their information including mailing address)
- Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Click on the link, then it lists all members and their contact information.
Points to make in your letter:
- Trickle Down Economics has never worked, and this has been proven time and again.
- Cuts will be automatic due to budget rule PAYGO
- Cuts will be at least $550 Million, but will likely be much higher.
- Medicaid will have a new work requirement in order to get benefits - something that permanently disabled people will never be able to fulfill - thus kicking them off of Medicaid.
- Medicare and Medicaid cover over 127 million Americans. This budget puts all 127 million of those people at risk.
Hilda the Plus-size Pinup; Norman Rockwell: Fixing a Flat, by moon_custafer.
Jun. 11th, 2025 06:48 pmfull_metal_ox posting in fancakeFandom: Hilda the Plus-size Pinup; Fixing a Flat (Norman Rockwell illustration)
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Hilda; three Norman Rockwell characters, two female and one male.
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 2,356
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply, women solving their own problems
Creator Tags: magazine illustrations, Norman Rockwell - Freeform, Fluff, Plot
Creator Links: (AO3)![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
moon_custafer; (DeviantArt) ![[deviantart.com profile]](https://i.deviantart.net/icons/favicon.png)
mooncustafer; (Dreamwidth) moon_custafer; (Instagram) ![[instagram.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/profile_icons/instagram.png)
mooncustafer; (LiveJournal) ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
moon_custafer; (Tumblr) ![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
mooncustafer
Theme: Female Relationships, Crossovers/Fusions, Female Friendship, Gen, Heists & Capers, Old Fandoms, Small Fandoms, Stranded
Summary: Hilda’s fishing trip is struck by rain and then by two new acquaintances in need of assistance.
Author’s Notes: Formoonlight69.
I needed to introduce a few additional characters to Hilda’s mainly single-panel world, so I did a mash-up with Norman Rockwell’s “Fixing a Flat.” Think of it as the Illustrationverse.
Reccer's Notes: A rec posted in honor of the U.S. Full Strawberry Moon, for reasons that will be apparent in the fic.
Moon Custafer constructs a story from several Hilda panels (plus a special guest Norman Rockwell work), in which Duane Bryers’ zaftig hillbilly wood nymph comes to the aid of two travelers stranded in the boondocks—a predicament complicated by a less friendly local. (A temporary problem-solving alliance (particularly against a common enemy) can count as a relationship, right?)
Hilda as portrayed in Bryers’ artworks seems to embrace solitude, and the scant fanfic I’ve seen doesn’t tend to show her interacting face-to-face with much of anyone but her animal friends and the odd Authorial Proxy; it’s fun to watch her socializing, and to see her given family, friends, enemies, and a history. (As well as actual clothing that she presumably wears now and then to pick up her crackers, trashy novels, and repurposable-as-clothing floursacks.)
Fanwork Links: Fixing a Flat bymoon_custafer for moonlight69, for Yuletide 2018.
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Hilda; three Norman Rockwell characters, two female and one male.
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 2,356
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply, women solving their own problems
Creator Tags: magazine illustrations, Norman Rockwell - Freeform, Fluff, Plot
Creator Links: (AO3)
mooncustafer; (Dreamwidth) moon_custafer; (Instagram) mooncustafer; (LiveJournal) moon_custafer; (Tumblr) Theme: Female Relationships, Crossovers/Fusions, Female Friendship, Gen, Heists & Capers, Old Fandoms, Small Fandoms, Stranded
Summary: Hilda’s fishing trip is struck by rain and then by two new acquaintances in need of assistance.
Author’s Notes: For
I needed to introduce a few additional characters to Hilda’s mainly single-panel world, so I did a mash-up with Norman Rockwell’s “Fixing a Flat.” Think of it as the Illustrationverse.
Reccer's Notes: A rec posted in honor of the U.S. Full Strawberry Moon, for reasons that will be apparent in the fic.
Moon Custafer constructs a story from several Hilda panels (plus a special guest Norman Rockwell work), in which Duane Bryers’ zaftig hillbilly wood nymph comes to the aid of two travelers stranded in the boondocks—a predicament complicated by a less friendly local. (A temporary problem-solving alliance (particularly against a common enemy) can count as a relationship, right?)
Hilda as portrayed in Bryers’ artworks seems to embrace solitude, and the scant fanfic I’ve seen doesn’t tend to show her interacting face-to-face with much of anyone but her animal friends and the odd Authorial Proxy; it’s fun to watch her socializing, and to see her given family, friends, enemies, and a history. (As well as actual clothing that she presumably wears now and then to pick up her crackers, trashy novels, and repurposable-as-clothing floursacks.)
Fanwork Links: Fixing a Flat by
DYI
Jun. 11th, 2025 11:14 pmdhampyresaI've been drawing a lot more than usual lately and now my wrist fucking hurts. I have an appointment with the doctor next week. In the mean time I've been using a wrist warmer + pieces of cardboard as a makeshift brace/splint to keep my wrist neutral, and if anyone has stretches or something I could do, I am all ears.
(no subject)
Jun. 11th, 2025 09:32 pmsabetheaFor people in the USA/US citizens outside who haven’t seen it but might be interested, communityactionusa seems to be somewhere to keep up with protests and join letter writing campaigns.
Not much use for those of us from other countries merely supportive but I know I have Americans on here who may not have seen it and may be interested, so I thought I’d pass the details on. Getting traction for things is always difficult.
communityactionusa seems to be somewhere to keep up with protests and join letter writing campaigns.Not much use for those of us from other countries merely supportive but I know I have Americans on here who may not have seen it and may be interested, so I thought I’d pass the details on. Getting traction for things is always difficult.
Texas Observer: Reefer Madness 2.0 Arrives in Lone Star State
Jun. 10th, 2025 06:23 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
kit_oconnell_feedMarijuana prohibition is a Texas tradition. Unless Governor Greg Abbott vetoes Senate Bill 3, the state’s new ban on THC, the state is about to suddenly and drastically renew its commitment to that tradition—at a potential cost of thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in lost taxable revenue, and countless lives broken in the prison system.
“We have to look at a long history in Texas,” said Austin Zamhariri, executive director of the Texas Cannabis Collective. “The modern enforcement of marijuana prohibition that exists today, that system began in Texas in 1915 in El Paso. It was the very first city in the entire country that prohibited marijuana.”
Zamhariri offered this historical perspective by way of explaining why our state is so eager to close the legal loophole that accidentally created a booming market for THC products about six years ago. “These systems have existed for 110 years,” he said.
The post Texas Observer: Reefer Madness 2.0 Arrives in Lone Star State appeared first on Kit O'Connell: Approximately 8,000 Words.