gwydion | 7/6/24 - 7/13/24 (Reply)

* "Rafah is a rubble-strewn ghost town 2 months after Israel invaded to root out Hamas:" https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rafah-dusty-rubble-strewn-ghost-town-2-months-111724487

* "Israeli military orders the evacuation of Gaza City, an early target of its war with Hamas:" https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-07-10-2024-6358a61735f0e30132decce781860594

* "If you are struggling with choosing which fundraisers to support, please consider donating to the following places providing medical aid, food, and other supplies to Palestine at this time:" https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/750500230956564480?source=share

* Links for various Palestinian Aid Organizations: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/750151174318112768?source=share

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* "Israel approves the largest Palestinian West Bank land grab in three decades:" https://www.salon.com/2024/07/03/israel-approves-the-largest-palestinian-west-land-grab-in-three-decades/

* "Protesters call ‘shut down’ on Sunday, demanding elections on 9-month war milestone:" https://www.timesofisrael.com/protesters-call-shut-down-on-sunday-demanding-elections-on-9-month-war-milestone/

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* "F-16s head to Ukraine to begin flights this summer:" https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/10/f-16s-fighter-jets-ukraine-00167265

* "Russian missile attack kills 36, hits children's hospital, Ukraine says:" https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-air-defence-engaged-repelling-russian-missile-attack-kyiv-officials-2024-07-08/

* "Ukrainian attacks on supply lines slowed Russians in Kharkiv, intercepts show:" https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/08/ukraine-intercepts-russia-kharkiv-supplies/

* "Reformist Pezeshkian beats hard-liner to win Iran presidential election, promising outreach to West:" https://apnews.com/article/iran-presidential-election-runoff-jalili-pezeshkian-results-8a10c940adc1259566791b549828a3fd

* "French vote gives leftists most seats over far right, but leaves hung parliament and deadlock:" https://apnews.com/article/france-elections-far-right-macron-08f10a7416a2494c85dcd562f33401d1

* "‘Popular front:’ How a pro-democracy coalition could unite to defeat Trump:" https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/-popular-front-how-a-pro-democracy-coalition-could-unite-to-defeat-trump-214540869778

* "Why Nicolás Maduro appears 13 times on the ballot for Venezuela’s presidential election:" https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-presidential-election-maduro-ballot-opposition-195ae6a6db441f8759a28b6694355c81

* "‘Freedom!’ chants at Venezuelan opposition rallies ahead of election show depth of needs and fear:" https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-election-maduro-opposition-machado-edmundo-freedom-1d9aab83e201fcfa911ca1d1f72bdc80

* "Canada’s First Grocery Store Where Food is FREE Opens in Saskatchewan:" https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/canadas-1st-full-scale-free-grocery-store-to-open-in-saskatchewan/

* "Two US states ask Supreme Court to rule on anti-trans sports bans:" https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/07/12/west-virginia-idaho-title-ix-trans-sport/

* "Clarence Thomas Took Free Yacht Trip to Russia, Chopper Flight to Putin’s Hometown: Dems:" https://www.thedailybeast.com/clarence-thomas-accepted-yacht-trip-to-russia-chopper-flight-to-putins-hometown-democrats

* "The Supreme Court Destroyed The Government While You Weren't Looking:"

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* "Judge Aileen Cannon grants Trump's request to pause some deadlines in classified documents case amid immunity questions:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/judge-aileen-cannon-grants-trump-request-pause-classified-documents-rcna160547

* "Hundreds of Patriot Front right-wing extremists march through Nashville:" https://www.advocate.com/news/patriot-front-nashville-march

* "We Need To Talk About Cop Cities: They're Everywhere:"

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* "Police Helicopter Flights and Spending Soar in New York City:" https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-nyc-police-helicopter-flights/?cmpid=BBD061824_CITYLAB

* "You can’t start from the top; you have to start with the people:" https://solarbird.dreamwidth.org/1983097.html

* "Planning parenthood for incarcerated men:" https://19thnews.org/2024/06/planning-parenthood-for-incarcerated-men/

* "Florida Republicans terrorized a teacher because of a Black Lives Matter flag. She hit back and won:" https://www.salon.com/2024/06/19/florida-terrorized-a-teacher-because-of-a-black-lives-matter-flag-she-hit-back-and-won/

* "Why Hurricane Beryl was more than Houston could handle:" https://www.vox.com/climate/360181/climate-hurricane-beryl-blackout-houston-flood

* "“Burned House” Mystery: Why Did This Ancient Culture Torch Its Own Homes Every 60 Years?:" https://daily.jstor.org/burned-house-mystery-why-did-this-ancient-culture-torch-its-own-homes-every-60-years/

* "Jim Inhofe, 89, dies after a long Senate career marked by fight against climate science:" https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/09/senator-jim-inhofe-obituary-00167021

* "James Inhofe, anti-LGBTQ+ former Republican senator, dead at 89:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/james-inhofe-antigay-senator-dead

* "What, to the Black trans woman, is the Fourth of July:" https://www.advocate.com/voices/trans-fourth-of-july

* "A man is caught attempting to smuggle 100 live snakes into China in his pants:" https://www.npr.org/2024/07/10/nx-s1-5035210/100-live-snakes-pants-smuggle-china

* "Drugs Disguised As Taco Bell Burritos Found During Traffic Stop:" https://wabx.net/2024/07/09/drugs-disguised-as-taco-bell-burritos-found-durring-traffic-stop/

* Apparently the crack down on illegal fireworks spurred by wildfire risk is working. Not only did we not get a week of random explosions, I couldn't hear professional explosions or neighborhood ones unless I went outside. No one set anything off in my complex let alone right under the living room window as is the usual practice. As far as I could tell the cats didn't notice.

The sky has been subtly uncanny valley for... I'm guessing a weekish? It's the wrong colour. No clouds. Yes, in a lot of places no clouds is fine, but here, there are almost always clouds of some sort. Normal cloudless periods are like a couple hours at most. Day after day of no clouds at all is absolutely a climate change thing in our weird little micro-environment, it's only been happening for a few years and I associate it with wildfires. The sky isn't bruise or orange, so that's good, but now and then, I get a whiff of something burning that shouldn't be. I can't explain it, but the sky's the wrong shade of blue to the south. Without clouds, the sky is too big here.

It is very much not helping that I keep having to go out into the extreme heat and pollen, whether I want to or not and it's a problem. I have had heat exhaustion, and once, likely heat stroke, but wasn't given proper medical attention at the time. (I'm not writing about it again now; I am tired). I was never particularly good at high heat and humidity. I can't really function in it at all now. Add in all the pollen and i struggle to think and breath and move about.

The cats are stressed, of, course, but it's because they are worried about my health (I'm moving in ways that show obvious extreme pain and exhaustion) and because of two months of massive disruptions to their schedules and periodic human intruders including men with boots. These things are also fraying at me, but I didn't piss all over the sofa, nor did I start a literal pissing contest with a cat in another part of town over which cat Goth Millennial belongs to. My having to deal with all the extra mess and laundry is not helping. I am looking very hard at you, Tavy. (The Emperor Octavian totally started it. King Henry was simply responding in kind to what amounted to an imperial power grab).

My physio is going very badly. I keep having to pull chunks of exercise sets because my arm nopes out or standing hurts to much to do that many of the ones I can only do standing up.

I did take some of the Millennials out to the lake Sunday. We tried to go to the one without invasive wildlife, but spent ages just to not get in. I drove back to my end of town. I always liked that lake better, but you have to decontaminate everything to avoid spreading the snails kayakers brought from Aotearoa. I didn't see any fish, and it looked like there were fewer dragonflies. I'm wondering if the snails are messing up breeding for native species in the reeds they colonized. The trees and the water were still beautiful though. We swam until my arm gave out and we had cheese, crackers, and fresh lychee while watching families swim.

Then the assholes turned up. Apparently they had been there hours earlier, as they claimed that the crumpled up abandoned looking towel they'd casually dropped at the edge of the cut a body length away from us meant that we were encroaching on them somehow. It was a crowded day at the lake. Four feet would not have been a weird distance even if we hadn't thought it was just a lost towel or they'd had it spread out with gear like a normal person. We weren't blocking access. We had to be close to the water because I'm an older disabled person, and as it was, the crawl from the water's edge was purgatorial. (I decided it would be easier and hurt less then them levering me up and me hobbling the distance. Did I mention my spine and hips are nightmares right now?)

So the assholes got angry at us for not intuiting that they owned a 15 yard stretch of close to the water space in a public park by virtue of them having dropped a balled up towel near it. O.o It was 6:30ish PM. You literally can't get a sunburn that late at this latitude, because the angles are wrong. They stood close and sprayed and sprayed and sprayed arisol sunblock all over each other which billowed towards us in a cloud. And not just us, but a dad and a two and a half year old toddler. I mentioned I was a lung patient, so she started blowing massive about of vape at us. And the dad. And the toddler with delicate lungs, because that's just how entitled they were to the entire stretch of land between two batches of reeds and we all deserved chemical warfare for daring to do normal things at the lake. Which as douche bag white 20 somethings they owned. We all got sore throats and queasy, I was coughing and had lung and breathing trouble all night. The Millennials were angry they were doing this to an elder, especially one who had an assistive devise and was obviously disabled. I was angry that they did this to a baby playing along the thin stretch of beach with her dad watching over her.

I am pretty sure I am not the asshole here.

Bonus? We lost the housing increase battle and somehow I must find an extra $142 a month starting in august while still paying all the other bills and buying things I can't do without, like toilet paper. I am still catching up for the refrigerator. The Millennials are all going through a bunch of no fault of their own crises too and two of them need to move by the end of the month.

It is A LOT. Especially in this terrible unnatural heat.

* I was kind of a mess at physio. We did a couple of things and then he spent the bulk of the session working on my arm. He thinks that I am using my pectoral muscles too much trying to compensate for my completely thrashed deltoids. That's my assignment along with continuing to try to undo the thing where the wrong sling fucked up arm alignment and posture from the previous session, plus trying to do the excercises, which generally eats up a couple hours of my night if my arm is working.

It's funny how lying still and having someone else work my arm thrashes me almost as much as swimming to exhaustion. Bodies are weird. Thursday night I was so tired that I basically fed myself and did my daily poll stuff on tumblr, then had to go right back to bed.

This means all the news links are just sitting there waiting for me to get to them instead of at least half posted to tumblr and scaffolded for the aggregate. Sigh. I am on track to do all or most of the Friday physio, at least. (I owe for sets of two types of excercises. One easy, one mid-range as of 5PM).

My physio got approved by Medicare for another cycle, which is good, because, really, I'm making very little progress to an utterly discouraging extent. Unfortunately they are way booked, so there will be massive gaps in August and September and this cycle is running to mid-October. (Yikes!) Let's hope some sort of progress occurs. I'm a little freaked that my arm still collapses when I try to lift anything over gtwo pounds and I can't hold my arm out straight to the side without help.

* "Project 2025 Is Trump's Blueprint For A Radical Conservative Takeover Of The U.S. Government:"

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