* I barely scratched the surface on the news. I keep having to use nearly everything I have to deal with the crisis and as a result I need to spend a stupid amout of time lying down on the days I'm not being pushed beyond my body's limits. I have two weeks at least of stuff prepped. I am sorry.
I am also doing some minor tweaking to the order of posting.
* "UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size:"
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce30vp55dnlo
* "Environmentalists Sue to Halt First Sale of Seabed-Mining Rights:"
https://archive.ph/bYqaT#selection-3900.0-3900.1* "Why the Roadless Rule Matters:"
https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/why-the-roadless-rule-matters
* "House passes short-term funding bill to prevent a shutdown before the election:"
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-votes-pass-short-term-funding-bill-prevent-shutdown-election-rcna595350* "House Democrats block constitutional amendment to lock Supreme Court at 9 justices:"
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-democrats-block-constitutional-amendment-supreme-court-justices-rcna595736* "New coalition fights Trump’s efforts to weaken protections for historic sites:"
https://archive.ph/DXnIr#selection-296.0-296.1* "US House passes bill penalizing universities that participate in boycott of Israel:"
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/03/israel-boycott-university-ban-billI don't understand how this is legal under the 1st Amendment, but regardless, time to call your senators to tell them to vote against it.
* "Mike Johnson swore Everton Blair in as the South’s first Black gay congressman:"
https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/everton-blair-sworn-mike-johnson* "Laura Loomer’s racist tirade draws rebuke from Marjorie Taylor Greene:"
( Embed: )* "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/guideIf 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.phpSnail 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-representativesThis 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/
* "New Mail Voting Rules Moved Forward Despite USPS Officials’ Concerns About Mass Disenfranchisement:"
https://www.propublica.org/article/mail-voting-usps-officials-concerns-disenfranchisement* "New system for screening mail-in ballots risks denying entire batches, says whistleblower:"
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/01/usps-whistleblower-mail-in-ballots-trumpThey are defying a court order. The plan is to allow the Federal Government to throw out thousands of votes every time they find a small discrepancy, like a woman changing her name when she marries. This is all illegal. Neither the federal Government nor the Post Office have any write to illegally destroy legally cast ballots just because the president doesn't like who's voting, but here we are.
* "Trump's attack on voting access sparks OUTRAGE from American voters:"
( Embed: )* "Trump admin again asks Supreme Court to allow mail-in voting plan:"
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/03/mail-in-voting-supreme-court-case* "Wyoming’s Primaries Were a Preview of Trump’s Midterm Interference:"
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/wyoming-doj-election-monitor-trump-midterm-interference/* "Texas Has Suspended More Than 1 Million Voters Ahead of Senate Race:"
https://newrepublic.com/post/214832/texas-suspended-1-million-voters-ahead-senate-race* "Key Texas county votes to cut polling sites ahead of the midterms:"
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/tarrant-county-texas-votes-slash-polling-sites-midterms-rcna595338* "Tarrant County meeting arrests raise First Amendment concerns:"
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article316967240.html* "Missouri Supreme Court puts Respect Missouri Voters plan on November ballot:"
https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2026-09-03/respect-missouri-voters-initiative-petitions* 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.* New Hampshire Primaries! Don't forget to vote by September 8!
* Rhode Island Primaries! Don't forget to vote by September 9!
* Delaware Primaries! Don't forget to vote by September 15!
* "Seth Moulton’s anti-trans shape-shifting ends in a humiliating blowout in Massachusetts:"
https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/seth-moulton-loses-ed-markey* "Ed Markey showed Democrats how to defend trans people and win elections:"
https://www.advocate.com/opinion/ed-markey-transgender-democrats-strategy* "Trump invites battleground Republicans to Rose Garden dinner:"
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/02/trump-invites-battleground-republicans-to-rose-garden-dinner-01061406* "Republicans aren’t exactly flocking to Trump’s midterm convention:"
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/02/gop-midterm-convention-attendance-01061286* "Trump Plans to Buy Midterm Ads About His Own Record:"
https://archive.ph/Yx6sl#selection-612.0-612.1* "Millions of Dollars in Secret Spending Could Upend the 2026 Midterms:"
https://archive.ph/R2wEg#selection-3952.0-3952.1* "Fences Mended, Musk Begins Spending to Boost Republicans:"
https://archive.ph/g8n37#selection-8056.0-8056.1* "Built-in backlash: Musk’s toxicity complicates his return to politics:"
https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/built-in-backlash-musk-s-toxicity-complicates-his-return-to-politics-2513107011814* "Vivian Wilson encourages queer people to 'disobey' as midterms approach:"
https://www.advocate.com/politics/vivian-jenna-wilson-desigual* "Gunman kills 2 at Arizona gay bar with other LGBTQ+ venues on apparent hit list:"
https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/tuscon-hate-crime-bar-killing* "LGBTQ+ Arizonans gather in mourning and defiance after deadly gay bar shooting:"
https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/arizona-tucson-gay-bar-shooting* "Mistrial is declared in Lindsay Clancy child killings case after jury deadlocks:"
https://apnews.com/article/lindsay-clancy-postpartum-massachusetts-trial-a939db73e864393eb9c727daa788e7a2* CW: Child Death. "Lindsay Clancy Hung Jury:"
( Embed: )* CW: Child Death. "The Juror Who Broke the Lindsay Clancy Trial:"
( Embed: )* "The trial over Tupac Shakur’s murder ended with a guilty verdict. But did it bring closure?:"
https://apnews.com/article/tupac-shakur-duane-keffe-d-davis-90c08ae150f366c83938c425c73adb9c* "Utah detectives say accused stalker told victim he ‘couldn’t wait to kill a gay person’:"
https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/utah-antigay-stalking-threats* "Four suspects beat California man while shouting anti-LGBTQ+ slurs, police say:"
https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/sacramento-gay-beating-hate-crime* CW: Rape, Rape Culture. "Navy Officer’s Lawsuit Accusing Ship Captain of Rape Gets Dismissed as Workers’ Comp Claim:"
https://people.com/navy-officer-lawsuit-alleging-rape-gets-dismissed-as-workers-comp-claim-12072092* CW: Rape. "Two men charged after sexual assault of trans woman at UW-Madison:"
https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/assault-uw-trans-woman* CW: Rape, Domestic Abuse. "When a pastor preaches cruelty, why does the congregation listen?:"
https://www.advocate.com/opinion/jp-miller-netflix-documentary* "The Summer the Ticks Took Over:"
https://archive.ph/LRzpI#selection-4143.334-4143.352
* "First-of-its-kind study definitively shows that conservation actions are effective at halting and reversing biodiversity loss :"
https://www.thegef.org/newsroom/press-releases/first-its-kind-study-definitively-shows-conservation-actions-are-effective* Do. Not. Want. "Gene Wilder’s Voice Resurrected by AI for Netflix’s Willy Wonka Competition Series; Late Actor’s Wife Gives Blessing:"
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/gene-wilder-voice-ai-willy-wonka-netflix-series-1236799327/* "Scams in the US are at a record high. Yet most victims get no help and some end up losing even more:"
https://apnews.com/article/scams-online-scams-ai-internet-safety-phishing-fraud-34517de3546d604e20c9d78d3dc5af4f* "Federal judge rules that AI-generated child sex abuse material is protected under the First Amendment:"
https://www.live5news.com/2026/09/01/federal-judge-rules-that-ai-generated-child-sex-abuse-material-is-protected-under-first-amendment/* "Elon Musk's data centers are pushing out a family that's owned land since "before people of color were allowed to":"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-data-centers-mississippi-family/?
* "How Americans stayed cool before air conditioning: From sitting on smelly ice to sleeping on the roof:"
https://www.popsci.com/technology/before-air-conditioning-history/* "The 40-hour Week was Meant to be Temporary:"
( Embed: )* "Dolly Parton Was 'The Book Lady':"
( Embed: )* "Body of world's youngest traditional king returns home to Uganda amid succession row:"
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clylwgn8jk3o * "Map Shows Planned Buc-ee’s Locations as CEO Vows Focus on Conservative States:"
https://www.newsweek.com/map-shows-planned-bucees-ceo-vows-focus-on-conservative-states-12385999* "Intense Six Flags Coaster Closed After Two Riders Suffer Brain Hemorrhages: “It’s Got to Stop”:"
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/six-flags-x2-coaster-closed-brain-injuries-1236683165/* "Unruly passenger arrested after being restrained with duct tape during flight:"
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/unruly-passenger-arrested-being-restrained-012102677.html* "Don’t Press Those Keys! How to Spot the New “Captcha Scam”:"
https://www.idtheftcenter.org/post/new-captcha-scam/* "Glass Found In Pillsbury Bread Triggers Recall For Over 700,000 Rolls:"
https://www.delish.com/food-news/a73221091/pillsbury-bread-dough-recall-walmart/?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6a65fde7b8fbe6000160ddf5* Despite the best efforts of the death benefit insurance scammers, I actually got real sleep Monday. In other news, we are being inspected first thing Friday morning, which is progress and we are going to have more time than hoped for to clean.
If the inspection goes well, odds are high that we will be all right. If not? Best not to think of it.
* Or Not. Fuck!
I had three death scammers, two bank call and a pharmacy call in the same two hours, at which point sleep was impossible, so I got to do all this on 3-4 hours of heavily disrupted sleep, while fasting for blood work, and with little hope of things turning out well.
Bonus: The kittens completely destroyed what I'm pretty sure is an expensive to replace comic compendium from the library last night and they trashed the place in genera right after all the Monday night cleaning. *head desk*
We are carrying on as if financing is still going to happen, which means cleaning and gathering paperwork, but the out of state next level up bank person didn't like the no interest loan from the city thing. I had to bring them extra papers in case it's not completely dead, but it looks bad to me. Local bank loan supervisor guy is going to try explaining to her because likely she doesn't know what the program is, etc.. He has hopes of talking her through it. If this fails so will plan C.
Bank supervisor has suggested a new Plan D he thinks we may be able to swing if things go south. Old plan D is now E and I am working on a plan F, but I do not like our chances there. I'm not sanguine about d and I don't like the looks of E either. I will definitely lose my chance at this car if I try to make F work and I'm like a couple of thousand short if it goes that way. Aso I doubt I can get one as good at that price.
Still, I will keep at it. I have no choice.
I've dealt with the local supervisor guy a bunch of times before and he really is good at his stuff and helpful. I'm just not convinced he is a magician, and it would take some real magic to persuade Out of state lady.
* Tuesday had way too many things in it and not enough sleep. It was not all that surprising I needed to spend 20 hourish in bed with cats Wednesday as a result.
And then Thursday was full of horrors:
Thursday I got three hours sleep because the assessor called to cancel for Friday, and I couldn't get back to sleep especially with all the death scammers calling. This suggests they are turning me down but the person in charge didn't contact either me or the local bank to confirm I am turned down. Which is weird. Local bank got my message about next steps and they want to talk to the lady in charge of the application to find out wtf, before moving on to plan D. They hope to know tomorrow.
I read the back half of Ann Leckie's delightful and very satisfying Radiant Star with my cats while waiting for the bank to call back.
We tried jumping my car so I could get the library CD that is overdue out, but no dice. I did go out in squirrel's car to market garden for safe produce. My garden is still producing but not in the necessary quantities. I had one of my tomatoes and the market garden's own delicious lettuce, perfect texture and properly flavoured on my bagel sandwich.
The cats wanted a walk and it was beautiful out, but I'd broken a plate last night. (Slipped from my hand while I was trying to stop a kitten escape. It scattered into tiny pieces over a large area.) I got pieces in my feet trying to catch a cat today. I had hoped to get the New Guy to clean, it, but I was thinking, We had the first Autumn Winds Wednesday, and who knows how many good days we'll get before the rainy season starts, so I did what I could.
It was a monumental task. I had to gather everything before I went out because kittens. This meant things like getting Squirrel to give me the broom and dust pan because they had them for cleaning up for the assessors. I needed all the walk stuff ready too in case they mobbed me. I needed to take up the mats, move heavy planters, etc.. Sweeping is ruff on my shoulder and my hips and the worst of the two badly damaged areas of my spine, and it was hot again. I did the best I could, but I know from experience, I need an able bodied person to go over it again and I'll likely be finding micro shards until that happened.
I was exhausted, but the cats did get their walk. Saffy ended up coming for a nice outdoors pet, which I thought was sweet. Claw was end of tether the whole time. Eventually she clearly saw something we couldn't see because hedges and decided she was done, which seemed about right for Saffy and I, so we came back in and I had a lie down.
I legitimately feel terrible. The last three weeks have been far to much for me physically, but there has been no choice. On the upside, it seems pepcide is helping with the inflammation and that's much improved. So I can breath properly when I'm not outside which does help with sleep quality, or would if people would not keep waking me up with spam and distressing calls, but here we are. The chunks of sleep I do get in between harassment are good and don't involve waking up struggling for breath.
So then I'm waiting for the New Guy to come. He calls instead. The Asshole Agency Suspended him with no notice. they also lied to him they'd called me to tell me. No call. No email. Nothing. I have sent an email to my team, and I get to add yet more phone bureaucracy to the list of things I need to do when I should be sleeping. Ugh.
It's added to the things I need to do when I should be sleeping. Ugh.
And I am yet again fucked for a home health aid because they keep finding new ways to jerk the other one around.
(Given the circumstances, the suspension is scary and unpleasant for the New Guy, but is unlikely to stick. I can't tell you details, but when I gave Squirrel the circumstances, he agreed with me that it's the kind of thing that requires a short suspension while they look into it, but will be easily shown to be bullshit. Which doesn't make it any less traumatic while it's occurring, of course).
One of the things I was going to get the New Guy to do was pull the shards I can't get out of my feet.
I am so, so tired.
* They officially turned me down Friday, and so we are trying to do Plan D, which is the last of the descent plans. We go tomorrow to find out if we are turned down flat, if we are, I will need to pivot to plan F, because if Plan D fails, likely so will E. This will mean I'll need another 1-2000 if I'm to get the used car. Let us hope plan D succeeds.
We were out on the patio with leashes Saturday. Saf spraaaaawled across the easy way off the patio. Claw wanted to go sit on the path and made a face like: Hey! a cat is in my way! Me: Welcome to my world.
We've been getting a higher rate of kittens wanting a walk and then decided after about ten minutes they are done. Mondays walk was like that. Nobody walking by. Blue sky with fluffy clouds. Perfect temperature. My theory is the wind. It's more a nice breeze right now, but they were born in January. They've never seen a Windy season yet. This one has barely started. We had one (1) real wind so far.
I think what happens is it looks fine from inside, but when they get out there, Everything is in motion: All the leaves. The long decorative grass. It unnerves them. They are descended from a desert species that is both predator and prey after all. If it cuts down of Saffy escapes, all to the good, but I am a little sad they are missing about half of what are likely the last good weather days before the windy season rains start.
* "Rich people more likely to steal children’s sweets, finds Ig Nobel prize-winning study:"
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/03/ig-nobel-prize-awards-2026-winners?
* "Harry Potter Is Manufacturing Your Complicity:"
( Embed: )* A really interesting take on Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins in historical context:
https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/826980425151971328?source=share* "This Living Garden Has Been Sealed for Decades:"
https://mossandfog.com/this-living-garden-has-been-sealed-for-decades/* I had some thoughts about Chuck Tingle's Fabulous Bodies, and to explain them I need to talk in thematic terms about some of his other work:
( Here there be Spoilers: )* "See Ten Spectacular Images From This Year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year Contest That Capture the Wonders of the Universe:"
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-ten-spectacular-images-from-this-years-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-contest-that-capture-the-wonders-of-the-universe-180989065/* I finally got a chance to see For All Mankind. There are choices I don't agree with narratively here and there, but I am all in on complex, fully fleshed out flawed women. I've noticed this is kind of a theme on Apple+. Good on them, I say. Also props for doing enough seasons to tell a story properly.
I just watched the season 4 finale, and afterwards, I kept thinking of how bananacakes the plot summary would sound out of context and how much sense it made in context down to the literal Chekhov's gun lying in wait since Season 3 and all the way so many things seeded in earlier seasons just keep adding depth.s
*****
* 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:
If you wish to help defeat an election denier for Arizona Secretary of state, here is Adrian Fontes's fundraising page:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/friendraising-fontesJames Talrico, Texas:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/jt-tx-webRoy Cooper, North Carolina:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/em-cgp-2025-cooperMary Peltola, Alaska:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dw_aksenJosh Turek, Iowa:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dw_iasenI 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 )![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elf![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
It's nearly midnight and
I'm delighted to announce that the first wave of submissions for Technonomicon: A Book of Forbidden Technologies was even more substantial than I'd hoped. The contributions I've already received amount to just short of 30,000 words, or about a third of the way to the length I had in mind. I haven't yet written my contributions -- I had some other things to get out of the way first! -- so once those are in, we'll very likely be to the halfway point. 
A heads up to occultists who share my interest in old-fashioned astrological magic -- my longtime friend Clifford Low, one of the pioneers of the modern revival of traditional astrological magic, has just launched a new website full of information on the subject at 
