Fruitcake

Dec. 23rd, 2025 04:12 pm
ranunculus: (Default)
[personal profile] ranunculus
Here is a holiday recipe for you!
This fruitcake is incredibly rich and yummy. I got it from my Mom, who undoubtedly clipped it out of a newspaper or farm magazine. I note that it is up on Cooks.com these days.

California Fruitcake

3/4 Cup Flour We always used all purpose white flour.
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Soda
1 tsp Salt
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar Pack tightly into measuring cup.
1 1/2 Lbs Pitted Dates Mom used brown Medjool Dates common to Calif. I like to cut them in half.
1 1/2 to 2 Cup Dried Apricots Cut into halves or quarters. Pack tightly in measuring cup.
3 Cup Nut Meats (Walnut halves) in large pieces.
3 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients.
Add to fruit, coat fruit thoroughly with flour mix.
Beat eggs until foamy, add vanilla.
Pour Egg mix over dry ingredients & fruit. Gently stir in.
Line loaf pan (bread loaf pan) with wax paper or parchment paper.
Pack pan with mix.
Bake at 300 degrees 1 hour and 20 min.
Put small pan of water in oven with the fruitcakes while baking to help keep it moist.
When cool, wrap with tinfoil and store in a dark cool place for 4 to 6 weeks to blend flavors. Or eat immediately.
Storing give a much richer flavor. We tried it soaked in rum once, and never again. The flavors of this fruitcake are so rich that the alcohol dulled and muddied the taste.

12/18/25 - 12/23/25

Dec. 23rd, 2025 02:11 am
gwydion: (Default)
[personal profile] gwydion
* Many items are from earlier in December.
* "Israeli military says it struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon:" https://archive.ph/vFr3l

* "Lebanon-Israel truce committee talks widen as Hezbollah disarmament deadline nears:" https://archive.ph/mi1k6

* "Israeli attack on school shelter in Gaza City kills 5 Palestinians, hospital chief says:" https://archive.ph/NSY7t

How to Help:
Revive Gaza's farmland: https://apnature.org/en/gaza
PCRF: https://www.pcrf.net/
HEAL Palestine: https://www.healpalestine.org/
The Sameer Project: https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject
Gaza Soup Kitchen: https://gazasoupkitchen.org/

******

* "Pete Hegseth Should Be Charged With Murder:" https://www.thenation.com/article/society/pete-hegseth-should-be-charged-with-murder/

* "Pete Hegseth Is Seriously Testing Trump’s ‘No Scalps’ Rule:" https://archive.ph/mPrvA

* "Advocacy groups sue Trump administration seeking release of legal memo justifying boat strikes:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/advocacy-groups-sue-trump-administration-seeking-release-legal-memo-ju-rcna247649

* "Congress to withhold Pentagon travel funds until it sees boat strike videos:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/ndaa-boat-strikes-congress-hegseth-without-funds-00680679

* We are a pirate nation now. "US preparing to seize more tankers off Venezuela's coast after first ship taken, sources say:" https://archive.ph/tsxcF

* This is a second vessel: "US interdicting, seizing vessel off Venezuelan coast, officials say:" https://archive.ph/EImMQ

* "Tanker Blockade Spurs New Legal Questions on Venezuela Campaign:" https://archive.ph/hbr8e

* "Two US fighter jets circle Gulf of Venezuela in escalation of hostilities:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/us-fighter-jets-gulf-of-venezuela

* "US sanctions Venezuelan President Maduro’s 3 nephews as pressure campaign ratchets up:" https://apnews.com/article/treasury-state-department-sanctions-trump-venezuela-a542e7d3f01fe6b9d8ae8ff3cad6f792

* "How Not to Plan for War:" https://archive.ph/yX3Jy

* "'An act of war': Trump escalates conflict with Venezuela with new blockade:"

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* "‘Who’s driving this?’: Trump clueless as U.S. drifts toward war with Venezuela:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/who-s-driving-this-trump-clueless-as-u-s-drifts-toward-war-with-venezuela-2474662979708

* "2 US soldiers and 1 civilian interpreter killed in ambush in Syria:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/13/syria-pentagon-troops-00689972

* "US hits ISIS in Syria with large retaliatory strikes, officials say:" https://archive.ph/TzlJu

******

* "US intelligence indicates Putin's war aims in Ukraine are unchanged:" https://archive.ph/2hkAU#selection-1070.0-1070.1

* "Kremlin says new US security strategy accords largely with Russia's view:" https://www.reuters.com/world/china/kremlin-says-new-us-security-strategy-accords-largely-with-russias-view-2025-12-07/

* "Trump’s son suggests president may walk away from Ukraine:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/07/donald-trump-jr-ukraine-qatar-00679809

* "Zelenskyy says Ukraine won’t cede territory to Russia:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/zelenskyy-ukraine-territory-russia-00681497

* "Trump thrashes European leaders in wide-ranging interview: ‘I think they’re weak’:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/09/trump-dasha-burns-interview-europe-immigration-ukraine-00682016?nid=0000018f-3124-de07-a98f-3be4d1400000&nname=politico-toplines&nrid=e0d83e10-9c05-48a6-89d1-a78490b620e0&source=email

* "the united states declares strategic war on the EU:" https://solarbird.dreamwidth.org/2053106.html

* "Russia's top general says army is advancing in Ukraine and targeting Myrnohrad:" https://archive.ph/A2mLt

* "Russian strike on Odesa kills 8 as US hosts a Kremlin envoy for talks on peace plan:" https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-attack-strike-odesa-dead-injured-94fb98e6e49a14ec2d067f7c42186d8e

* "2 killed as Russian overnight attack hits infrastructure in Ukraine, officials say:" https://abcnews.go.com/International/2-killed-russian-overnight-attack-hits-infrastructure-ukraine/story?id=128183253

* "With Attacks on Oil Tankers, Ukraine Takes Aim at Russia’s War Financing:" https://archive.ph/XRzDr

******

* "M23 rebels entrench their rule in east Congo even as Trump claims peace:" https://archive.ph/L7jhp#selection-1077.1-1077.71

* "Assad's exiled spy chief and billionaire cousin plot Syrian uprisings from Russia:" https://archive.ph/cY48Q

* "A year after Assad's fall, families of missing detainees languish without answers:" https://archive.ph/CPFuc

* "A Bolsonaro on the ballot not enough to unite Brazil's right in 2026:" https://archive.ph/dM4Xk

* "Hate crime unit investigating removal of Jewish prayer scrolls from North York doorways:" https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-police-hate-crime-unit-jewish-prayer-scrolls-removed-9.7006706

* "Malala Yousafzai - “Finding My Way,” Education Activism & Dreaming for Herself | The Daily Show:"

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* "US threatens new ICC sanctions unless court pledges not to prosecute Trump:" https://archive.ph/7gYdi

* "Nigeria, "Christian Genocide" and the Right Wing Attempt To Create More War:" https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/nigeria-christian-genocide-and-the

* "US announces $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, largest ever:" https://archive.ph/o5X67

* "US to allow powerful AI chip sales to China, Trump says:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/u-s-to-allow-nvidias-h200-sales-in-china-trump-confirms-00681619

* CW: Rape, Sex Trafficking. "How a Manosphere Star Accused of Rape and Trafficking Was Freed:" https://archive.ph/1YkkJ

* CW: Rape, Sex Trafficking. "Barron Trump’s ties to accused sex trafficker Andrew Tate exposed in NYT report:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/barron-trump-s-ties-to-accused-sex-trafficker-andrew-tate-exposed-in-nyt-report-2474968643583

* "Trump is giving farmers $12B in aid. They’ve been hit hard by his trade war with China:" https://apnews.com/article/trump-farmers-aid-07328f260d1ebf26c2bfde79b426230e

* "Here Are the Key Takeaways From the Monthly US Jobs Report:" https://archive.ph/3Bz3d

* "Jobless rate rises, adding to Trump's economic messaging woes:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/16/jobs-report-trump-employment-economy-00692500

* "Trump’s Reckless Energy Policies Are Driving Up Costs and Leaving Families in the Cold :" https://climatepower.us/news/new-trumps-reckless-energy-policies-are-driving-up-costs-and-leaving-families-in-the-cold/

* "Andrew Ross Sorkin On Affordability, What Happens If The AI Bubble Bursts, And Paramount vs. Netflix:"

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* "Beshear blasts Trump for ‘taking a sledgehammer’ to the economy; cites lasting damage concerns:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/beshear-blasts-trump-for-taking-a-sledgehammer-to-the-economy-cites-lasting-damage-concerns-2474331715968

* " A split Fed cuts interest rates but signals it's likely to pause:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/10/federal-reserve-interest-rates-cut-00684371

* "The case for more Fed rate cuts could rest on a ‘systematic overcount’ of jobs numbers:" https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/11/case-for-more-fed-rate-cuts-could-rest-on-systemic-overcount-of-jobs.html

* "Treasury Secretary Bessent calls for looser regulations for the U.S. financial system:" https://apnews.com/article/treasury-scott-bessent-financial-stability-f7bd96bb99824fd10c7e3ca239830bff

Reminder: Financial Deregulation caused the Bush Recession that permanently destroyed prospects for Gen X and Millennials, but billionaires made a killing which is why billionaires want Trump to do everything in his power to crash the US economy.

*** Immigration/I.C.E/Autocracy/Slow Motion Civil War/Violent Illegal Occupation of Blue Cities News ***

* "Applicants for Trump’s Tacky Gold Card Warned of Million-Dollar Problem:" https://www.thedailybeast.com/applicants-for-donald-trumps-tacky-gold-card-warned-of-million-dollar-problem/

* "Trump finally confirms using vulgar slur about several countries in 2018:" https://archive.ph/ucWZ7

* "Maddow: Trump’s attacks on immigrants serve a more sinister purpose:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/maddow-trump-s-attacks-on-immigrants-serve-a-more-sinister-purpose-2474671171666

* He was just waiting for a pretext. "Trump suspends green card lottery program that let Brown University, MIT shootings suspect into US:" https://apnews.com/article/brown-mit-shooting-suspect-green-card-1d6c1d83bc1237a21d0ca65d39981fa8

* "Foreigners allowed to travel to the US without a visa could soon face new social media screening:" https://apnews.com/article/esta-visa-waiver-social-media-travel-foreigners-9a1daaba39ffbb7bf24f0f411c2a0275

* "State Department to deny visas to fact checkers and others, citing 'censorship':" https://www.npr.org/2025/12/04/nx-s1-5633444/trump-content-moderation-visas-censorship?

* "Man Charged for Wiping Phone Before CBP Could Search It:" https://www.404media.co/man-charged-for-wiping-phone-before-cbp-could-search-it/

* "CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ segment on notorious El Salvador prison:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/22/cbs-pulls-60-minutes-el-salvador-prison-00702617

* "All about the infamous CECOT prison — on which CBS's Bari Weiss pulled a story :" https://www.advocate.com/news/cecot-story-bari-weiss-spiked

* "ICE Suffers Legal Blow Over Blocking Detention Center Visits:" https://www.newsweek.com/ice-legal-blow-blocking-detention-center-visits-11234552

* "Homeland Security Dept. buying Boeing 737s for ICE deportations:" https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/10/homeland-security-boeing-737-ice-deportations.html

I think we've found more government waste.

* "Noem defiant as Democrats decry Trump administration treatment of migrants:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/11/noem-defiant-as-democrats-decry-trump-administration-treatment-of-migrants-00687101

* "Noem Gets Most Awkward Fact-Check of Her Life on Deported Veterans:" https://newrepublic.com/post/204301/kristi-noem-fact-check-deported-veterans

* "Protesters gather as DHS Sec. Kristi Noem attends Navy Pier's annual 'Christmas Tree Ship':" https://abc7chicago.com/post/christmas-tree-ship-chicago-news-homeland-security-secretary-kristi-noem-expected-attend-navy-pier-event/18257200/

* "DHS changing immigration enforcement tactics amid negative polling:" https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/5647146-immigration-enforcement-tactics-change/amp/

* "Inside the Ad Campaign to Convince Trump’s ICE Thugs to ‘Walk Away’:" https://zeteo.com/p/ad-campaign-trump-ice-immigration-womens-march

* "Judge Calls Trump’s Border Commander A Lying Liar:" https://abovethelaw.com/2025/11/judge-calls-trumps-border-commander-a-lying-liar/

* "Migrants held at Fort Bliss suffering physical abuse, unsafe conditions, human rights groups claim:" https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/10/texas-migrant-detention-fort-bliss-abuse-allegations-aclu-report/

* "Group protests conditions at Fort Bliss migrant center:" https://www.ktsm.com/news/group-protests-conditions-at-fort-bliss-migrant-center/

* "How does a 3-year-old hire an immigration attorney?:" https://archive.ph/8k2WP

* "US citizens from SoCal testify in Washington as new report denounces 'unconstitutional detentions':" https://abc7.com/post/us-citizens-socal-testify-washington-new-report-denounces-unconstitutional-detentions/18269743/

* "I’m a citizen. ICE wrongfully detained me. So why can’t I sue? | Opinion:" https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/i-m-citizen-ice-wrongfully-detained-me-21244415.php

* "Lesbian federal worker pleads for answers about wife trapped in immigration detention limbo:" https://www.advocate.com/news/married-lesbian-immigration-limbo

* "He Made an Epic Journey to the U.S. to Share Evidence of a Genocide. We’re Deporting Him Anyway.:" https://www.jezebel.com/heng-guan-deportation-us-china-uyghurs-genocide-video-evidence-camps-uganda-asylum

* "Federal judge issues order to prohibit immigration officials from detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia:" https://apnews.com/article/abrego-garcia-el-salvador-deportation-f6d3df5d2315375dea83492858dc91f5

* "Judge orders the release of an immigrant with ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt:" https://apnews.com/article/karoline-leavitt-ice-immigrant-detained-50575c83c36dac62f629f396593c0bc8

* "Rescue helicopter will return, remain in Newport, Oregon’s US senators say:" https://theworldlink.com/news/rescue-helicopter-will-return-remain-in-newport-oregon-s-us-senators-say/article_c6060e55-0f6f-41f6-a97e-eba502155197.html

They need the helicopter for the fishing fleet; I.C.E. wanted to steal it to hunt humans for pleasure on the US-Mexico Border.

* "Here’s how immigration enforcement is affecting school enrollment in some districts:" https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/heres-immigration-enforcement-affecting-school-enrollment-districts/story?id=128057477

* CW: sex trafficking. "ICE employee among 16 men arrested in Bloomington sex trafficking sting, police say:" https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/bloomington-sex-trafficking-sting/

If we must have ICE we need better vetting. Why not use the same standards as for immigrants?

* "Feds Dismiss Charges Against Woman Shot by Border Patrol Agent in Brighton Park:" https://news.wttw.com/2025/11/20/feds-dismiss-charges-against-woman-shot-border-patrol-agent-brighton-park

* "Protests against ICE, Border Patrol take place in several capital area cities Saturday:" https://www.wbrz.com/news/protests-against-ice-border-patrol-take-place-in-several-capital-area-cities-saturday/

* "Trump suffers frequent failures as Americans push back at every turn:" https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-suffers-frequent-failures-as-americans-push-back-at-every-turn-2474012739821

* "National Guard deployment controversy still rages in these 5 cities:" https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/12/11/national-guard-deployments-legal-limbo/87700131007/

* "Nebraska lawmaker was twice denied entry to McCook ICE jail, calls it law violation:" https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/08/nebraska-lawmaker-was-twice-denied-entry-to-mccook-ice-jail-calls-it-law-violation/

* "Judge blocks Trump's National Guard deployment in LA with sharp rebuke:" https://www.npr.org/2025/12/10/nx-s1-5639822/national-guard-la-court-judge-trump

* "National Guard troops under Trump’s command leave L.A before court’s deadline:" https://archive.ph/Y6WnW

* "A federal jury finds Milwaukee judge guilty of obstructing immigration agents:" https://www.npr.org/2025/12/18/nx-s1-5648584/judge-hannah-dugan-guilty-obstruction-ice

* "Bulgarian-born Chicagoan dies in ICE custody at Michigan detention facility:" https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/12/20/chicago-man-dies-ice-custody-michigan-nenko-gantchev

* "Authorities monitor online criticism of New Orleans immigration crackdown:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/08/new-orleans-immigration-online-criticism-tracking

* "Court Blocks Release of Hundreds of Immigrants Arrested in Chicago-Area Operations:" https://news.wttw.com/2025/12/12/court-blocks-release-hundreds-immigrants-arrested-chicago-area-operations

* "How a garden store worker became part of the ‘Broadview Six’:" https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/21/broadview-six-protest-ice-charges/

* "'Pins on a Map': How Chicago students are tracking ICE raids:" https://archive.ph/SP9SV

* "Ordinary Americans are fighting back against ICE: ‘We’re going to outlast them’:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/18/ice-raids-fighting-back

* "‘No Sleep for ICE’: Inside the Protest Movement Keeping Immigration Agents Awake at Night:" https://time.com/7341833/no-sleep-for-ice-protests-hotels/

* "Federal agents arrest citizen observer watching ICE detain neighbors on her north Minneapolis block:" https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/09/federal-agents-arrest-citizen-observer-watching-ice-north-minneapolis

* "Thousands attend march to protest ICE in south Minneapolis:" https://www.startribune.com/ice-raids-minnesota/601546426

* "ICE meets snow as midwesterners fight back against Trump immigration raids:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/18/snow-midwest-ice-raids-trump

* "Over a hundred people rally against ICE flights outside MSP:" https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/12/03/over-a-hundred-people-rally-against-ice-flights-outside-msp/

* "Hundreds rally in Lewiston in solidarity with Somali community:" https://www.mainepublic.org/immigration/2025-12-14/hundreds-rally-in-lewiston-in-solidarity-with-somali-community

* "In Press Herald Op-Ed, Governor Mills Announces LD 1971 to Become Law:" https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/news/press-herald-op-ed-governor-mills-announces-ld-1971-become-law-2025-12-15

* "The Undocumented Underground Is Fighting Back Inside New York’s Notorious Immigration Court:" https://talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/new-york-immigration-court-ice-undocumented-underground

* "Democrats’ Proposal Would Halt Courthouse Arrests of Migrants:" https://archive.ph/uG04y

* "Hundreds in NYC rally to support 6-year-old separated from dad after ICE check-in :" https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hundreds-nyc-rally-support-6-year-old-separated-dad-ice-check-rcna248027

* "Mamdani tells immigrant New Yorkers about their right not to comply with ICE:" https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/zohran-mamdani-tells-immigrant-new-yorkers-comply-ice-128194280

* "Protesters Rally at Police Station Against ICE Support:" https://huntingtonnow.com/protesters-rally-at-police-station-against-ice-support/

* "Truckers Who Fail English Tests Get Pulled Off Roads in Trump Crackdown:" https://archive.ph/p7ck8

This is another Republican attack on the US Economy and against workers.

* "WATCH: Duffy threatens to withhold millions in highway funds from New York over flaws in immigrant commercial driver’s license system:" https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-duffy-threatens-to-withhold-millions-in-highway-funds-from-new-york-over-flaws-in-immigrant-commercial-drivers-license-system

* "Judge pauses Trump administration’s noise restrictions against Eugene protesters:" https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/14/judge-pauses-trump-administration-noise-restrictions-against-eugene-protestors/

* "A leased ICE detention center wears out its welcome in Portland, Oregon:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/04/a-leased-ice-detention-center-wears-out-its-welcome-in-portland-oregon-00677961

* "ICEBlock Was Purged From the App Store. Now Its Creator Is Suing the Trump Administration.:" https://slate.com/technology/2025/12/iceblock-app-lawsuit-pam-bondi-trump-joshua-aaron-ice.html

* "Portlanders demand return of ICE-tracking app outside downtown Apple store:" https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2025/12/portlanders-demand-return-of-ice-tracking-app-outside-downtown-apple-store.html

* "Portland faith leaders hold Blue Christmas vigil outside ICE facility :" https://www.oregonlive.com/living/2025/12/portland-faith-leaders-hold-blue-christmas-vigil-outside-ice-facility.html

* "Why clergy should risk assault to protest ICE:" https://religionnews.com/2025/11/13/why-clergy-should-be-willing-to-be-assaulted-by-ice/

* "Church members flee as federal agents arrive at east Charlotte place of worship:" https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article312932422.html

* "ICE Nativity scenes: Churches reimagine Christmas story amid deportations:" https://religionnews.com/2025/12/05/ice-nativity-scenes-churches-reimagine-christmas-story-amid-deportations/

* "Boston Archdiocese wants ICE message gone from parish's outdoor Nativity scene:" https://www.ncronline.org/news/boston-archdiocese-wants-ice-message-gone-parishs-outdoor-nativity-scene

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

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
Mid-South Immigration Advocates: https://miamemphis.org/
"Know Your Rights:" https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights
"Disappeared In America:" https://www.disappearedinamerica.us/
* "Sleepy. Divisive. A fan of young Trump: A look at the new plaques on the Presidential Walk of Fame:" https://apnews.com/article/trump-plaques-presidential-walk-fame-e6b496f68862f4b678bbe608a0efde95

* "Trump administration says White House ballroom construction is a matter of national security:" https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-ballroom-national-security-de9756118bbfca8f40af9cf89db6af5b

Wouldn't they have known about this if they'd followed procedures for review instead of tearing down an historic building belonging to the American people?

* "Judge lets Trump’s ballroom construction proceed:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/16/white-house-ballroom-construction-ruling-00694019

* "Trump touts accomplishments, attacks Democrats amid persistent concerns over economy:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/17/trump-touts-accomplishments-attacks-democrats-amid-persistent-concerns-over-economy-00697143

* "Six key takeaways from Trump's speech to the nation, including 'transgender for everybody':" https://www.advocate.com/politics/trump-fact-challenged-speech

* "‘Desperate’: Hayes says unpopular Trump can’t ‘talk his way out of' this:"

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* "Senator Kelly tears through Trump's address to the nation:"

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* "Trump learns Politics 101: Do unpopular things, become unpopular, lose political power:" https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-learns-politics-101-do-unpopular-things-become-unpopular-lose-political-power-2476176963768

* "'Bad, fast-talking infomercial': Psaki fact-checks Trump's address:"

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* "Trump rants nonsense about transgender people instead of fixing affordability crisis at Pennsylvania rally:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/trump-pa-affordability-transgender

* "Trump Derails His Christmas Speech to Ramble About Snakes:" https://newrepublic.com/post/204417/donald-trump-christmas-speech-snakes

* "Trump Suggests It’s “Treasonous” to Talk About His Mental Decline:" https://newrepublic.com/post/204222/donald-trump-dementia-tests-cognitive-decline-treason

* "Cognitive Tests Are Good. The Way Trump Talks About Them Is Bad. :" https://newrepublic.com/article/204369/cognitive-tests-decline-trump

* "Trump claims credit for military bonus that Congress already approved:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/18/trump-warrior-dividend-troops-congress-00697375

* "Trump sours on Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar after issuing pardon:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/07/trump-critizes-henry-cuellar-pardon-00679921

* "Trump attacks on political opponents spur a surge of threats, NBC News review finds:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-attacks-political-opponents-spur-surge-threats-nbc-news-review-f-rcna247201

* "Not a ‘game changer’: What to know about Trump’s nuclear fusion deal:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/18/trump-media-takes-on-fusion-but-is-tech-ready-00697600?force_isolation=true

* "Paramount goes hostile in bid for Warner Bros., challenging a $72 billion offer by Netflix:" https://apnews.com/article/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-netflix-trump-347540ae7a4f83fced833fe882f25680

* "Trump says Netflix, WBD deal could be ‘problem’ as son-in-law Kushner backs Paramount bid:" https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/08/trump-netflix-wbd-paramount.html

* "A Year Later, Donors to Trump’s Transition Come to Light:" https://archive.ph/L3e68

* "Trump officials sue Georgia county to force release of 2020 voting records:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7733m2rmz5o

* "Trump Must Go Now Rally In Front Of The White House, In Washington, District Of Columbia, USA, Washington Dc, Virginia.:" https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/trump-must-go-now-rally-in-front-of-the-white-house-in-washington-district-of-columbia-usa-washington-dc-virginia-13-december-2025/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjU6bmV3c21sX01UMVpVTUEwMDAzWFgwRFQ

* "Protesters Gather Outside Army–Navy Game During Trump Appearan:" https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/protesters-gather-outside-armynavy-game-during-trump-appearan/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjU6bmV3c21sX01UMVNJUEEwMDBLUE4wN0E

* "Susie Wiles, JD Vance, and the “Junkyard Dogs”: The White House Chief of Staff on Trump’s Second Term:" https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-susie-wiles-interview-exclusive-part-1

* "Susie Wiles Talks Epstein Files, Pete Hegseth’s War Tactics, Retribution, and More:" https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-susie-wiles-interview-exclusive-part-2

* "Trump chief of staff makes disastrous miscalculation in talks with reporter:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/trump-chief-of-staff-makes-disastrous-miscalculation-in-talks-with-reporter-2476501059975

* "Your Private Data Is Building Trump’s Voter Purge Machine:" https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/12/your-private-data-is-building-trumps-voter-purge-machine/?

* "The Trump administration takes a wrecking ball to rulemaking:" https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/the-administration/5621859-federal-rules-without-public-process/

* "FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he plans to resign next month as bureau’s No 2 official:" https://apnews.com/article/bongino-fbi-trump-patel-3f388cb8ccd9124eff3a7c7aec32c1b3

* "U.S. Veterans Affairs agency plans as many as 35,000 health-care job cuts this month, Washington Post reports:" https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/13/trump-us-veterans-affairs-plans-job-cuts-washington-post.html

* "VA Warned of ‘Problematic’ Changes to Veterans’ Health Records:" https://www.newsweek.com/va-warned-of-problematic-changes-to-veterans-health-records-11252472

* "Appeals court mulls upholding ruling that struck down Pentagon’s HIV enlistment ban:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lambda-legal-hiv-military-ban

* "Doctor Critical of Vaccines Quietly Appointed as C.D.C.’s Second in Command:" https://archive.ph/K7rN4

* "Kennedy vaccine advisers 'turned back the clock,' experts say:" https://archive.ph/585e4

* "Fact-checking the CDC panel’s reasons for dropping universal newborn hepatitis B vaccine recommendation:" https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/fact-checking-the-cdc-panels-reasons-for-dropping-universal-newborn-hepatitis-b-vaccine-recommendation

* "American Academy of Pediatrics loses government funding after criticizing RFK Jr:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/17/american-academy-pediatrics-funding-rfk

* "We’re autistic mothers with children on the spectrum. Trump and RFK Jr. are trying to blame Tylenol and us:" https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-autism-mothers-tylenol-rfk-jr-b2835934.html

* "Maddow: Trump risks shattering U.S. as states seek alternative to decimated federal health expertise:" https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-trump-risks-shattering-u-s-as-states-seek-alternative-to-decimated-federal-health-expertise-2474004035670

* "Medicare’s new AI experiment sparks alarm among doctors, lawmakers:" https://stateline.org/2025/12/04/medicares-new-ai-experiment-sparks-alarm-among-doctors-lawmakers/

Just as revoking vaccine mandates for babies is a eugenicist and classist attack against the children of the poor, AI medicare denials are a eugenicist and ableist attack on the elderly and disabled.

It's about killing people RFK Jr. and the republicans at large hate.

"AI-powered prior authorization in Medicare Advantage and private insurance has attracted intense criticism, legislative action by state and federal lawmakers, federal investigations and class-action lawsuits. It’s been linked to bad health outcomes. Dozens of states have passed legislation in recent years to regulate the practice."

* "Dr. Oz Tells His Federal Employees to Eat Less:" https://www.wired.com/story/dr-oz-centers-for-medicare-and-medicaid-services-tells-employees-to-eat-less/

* "Maddow: Trump loses on public health leadership as states leave his ‘flock of quacks’ behind:" https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-trump-loses-on-public-health-leadership-as-states-leave-his-flock-of-quacks-behind-2476165187616
* "The Republicans who voted against making gender-affirming care a crime and the Dems who voted for it :" https://www.advocate.com/politics/republicans-democrats-transgender-bill

* "Sarah McBride knew some Democrats would betray trans people, so she lobbied Republicans:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/sarah-mcbride-lobbies-republicans
* Our job for the next year and a half 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.

We are trying to build a good list of resistance resources.

Please add more below if you have them.


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

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

* "Democracy 2025:" https://www.democracy2025.org/?utm_source=df-ad&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=21912407002&utm_content=721373734297&source=df-ad-gs&gad_source=1

* 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

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

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

Useful organizing links and resources: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/771859083592613888/hater-of-terfs-ive-already-reblogged-a-link-to?source=share

Protests: "50501 Events:" https://www.fiftyfifty.one/events

"ICE Raids Toolkit: Defend Against ICE Raids and Community Arrests:" https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/raids-toolkit/

Contains a raid tip hotline amoung other things. "Know Your Rights
LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY:" https://wearecasa.org/know-your-rights/
* "Vance tries to weather the MAGA storm at Turning Point:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/21/vance-maga-infighting-turning-point-usa-00702396

* "Charlie Kirk's accused killer, Tyler Robinson, on LGBTQ+ issues: It's complicated:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/charlie-kirk-suspect-lgbtq-issues

* CW: Suicide. "Brown University shooting: Suspect in Brown and MIT shootings found dead as motive remains unclear:" https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/brown-university-shooting-live-updates-suspect-also-accused-mit-profes-rcna250040

* "'Both were brilliant and beloved': Brown University students identified as victims in campus shooting:" https://abcnews.go.com/US/bright-light-brown-university-student-identified-shooting-victim/story?id=128403441

* "A Reddit post helped find MIT and Brown shooting suspect. Here's what we know:" https://www.npr.org/2025/12/19/nx-s1-5649528/brown-mit-shooter-what-we-know

* "Sacramento man still in coma six weeks after suspected anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/sacramento-lgbtq-hate-crime-coma

* "Firefox is adding an AI kill switch:" https://coywolf.com/news/productivity/firefox-is-adding-an-ai-kill-switch/

* "A tech critic’s guide to holiday gift-giving:" https://disconnect.blog/a-tech-critics-guide-to-holiday-gift-giving/

* " Warnings From Weimar: Why Bargaining With Authoritarians Fails:" https://www.foreignaffairs.com/germany/hitler-warnings-weimar-democracy-daniel-ziblatt

* I keep having to stay up to do things every day this week, which inevitably messes with my sleep cycle, but I don't see a lot of choice here.

I went in to give Livia a pet before I went to go pick up my ILLs, a thing I wanted to do before bed and discovered I'd been challenged to a particularly difficult game of "What's That Smell?" This is a game where no one wins. If you "win" you must clean up whatever mess is making that smell, and if you loose everyone has to live with that smell until someone "Wins." It was a toughie too. It was diffuse enough that I could not pin down a source,m nor did I at bed time. Luckily whatever it was was not something I could smell from the head of the bed. I had wanted to go to bed three or four hours previous, but there were Action Items to post and the library doesn't open until 10AM.

I did solve it on waking Thursday night, and it was best case on cleaning up which is as close to winning as anyone gets in a game of what's that smell.

There are so many things I need to do, but the pain and the low spoon count render everything impossible. I had to change my bed by myself again and needed a two hour nap after and that was it for anything else productive happening around the house Wednesday.

And Fridays I always need to stay up for forage delivery, plus I forgot entirely to do yet another time dependent errand when I did the Thursday Library run. Sigh. So tired.

* Squirrel got an Award: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/803502217681371137/so-squirrel-coms-home-late-from-work-friday-and?source=share

* A few days ago, a friend gave Livia some new toys. I was having a hard time getting her to do feather time as she remains sad, but the big strong smelling catnip rainbows perked her up some. Friday night she came out and had naps on the pettin throne between pets, which is progress. Sunday evening she slept in her desk box for a couple of hours for the first time since Tavy died, but she won't do it when I'm at the desk just yet, but small steps.

* Sunday I was having one of those nights when everything is extra difficult. I was planning to do solstice stuff after New Millennial left, but I managed to spill a whole pot sized mug of tea everywhere just before they left. Miraculously I think the lap tops are okay. Lemon Lenovo was closed, and I snatched it up out of the danger zone pretty fast. I still had to clean the exterior and replace one of my useful phone numbers post it's and the paper camera cover, but it's fine. The Refurbished was not quite as lucky. It got basically the same exterior mess, but also some got in the space bar crack. It spent hours with the usual tactics to solve that and he seems to be functioning normally, so it is likely all right.

Bonus: It was milky Russian caravan with a bit of praline syrup, which is both extra sticky and strongly scented. I love it when I'm drinking it, but it's a strong scent and once I'm not, I don't want it lingering. I was wearing it. My chair and the pillow on the leg prop ottoman got soaked, along with a bunch of smaller desk things. I cleaned and cleaned. I took a bath and rewashed my hair, which was not ideal as I'd also washed it before bed and my hair is more delicate with age, but it was in my hair, so... I ran laundry. I cleaned and I cleaned, but I still kept smelling it and finding tiny sticky spots.

In all I lost about 2-2 1/2 hours, which is why the aggregate didn't make it out. Sigh.

I keep dropping things and my hips don't want to bend in this weather.

Plus I had to go back to the library for a third time this week because I got a notice Saturday that they were about to return a book to stacks. I was there... was it Thursday or Friday? And got everything. Double checked even. Sigh. It was raining of course, because it is the PNW in December. On the way back it started to sporadically flurry. They were tiny and melted almost immediately after hitting the wind shield. The clouds would part and it would stop until the clouds gathered again a few minutes later. It was beautiful.

Poor Livia started sneezing a little Sunday and in the wee hours her cold got noticeably worse, but there is no determinable fever and she is eating. By Monday evening she was a bit better, so no vet yet. Still, I worry. She's a touch dehydrated and her urinary system is fragile.

* The horror movie Tournament poll is close to the end: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydpolls/tagged/Horror%20Movies

* "Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize | The Daily Show:"

Embed: )

* "Trump Voters Blame Him For The High Cost Of Living | Farwell, Metaverse | Rubio vs. Calibri:"

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* "What You Get With The Trump Gold Card | Why Did The U.S. Seize An Oil Tanker? | AI Product Placement:"

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* "Susie Wiles Dishes On Trump & Top Officials | The Ballroom Bunker | Cockroach Spies:"

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* "Trump Interrupts "Survivor" Finale | Explaining Hanukkah | Venezuela Watch | Farewell, Mayor Adams:"

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* "FIFA Gives Trump a Gold Pacifier & Looming War on Venezuela Gives Jon Iraq Déjà Vu | The Daily Show:"

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* "The Frankenstein Discourse Is Bad. Let’s Talk About It:"

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I knew going in it likely was going to be an inspired by instead of an adaptation because I’d heard some things in the run up to release that prepared me. I think being prepared made it easier for me to divorce movie from book, and I did like it, but I’d have much rather had the queerness from the 1818 text instead of the OC and I missed the more complex characters.

I can like the movie for what it is, basically, but mourn that it’s yet another time we didn’t get a real adaptation that Went There.

* "The Time Christmas Was Cancelled and Riots Ensued:"

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* "Trump Air Force One Press Conference Cold Open - SNL:"

Embed: )

* "Wizard of Oz Deleted Footage - SNL:"

Embed: )

* "Characters on Characters - SNL:"

Embed: )

* "Donald Trump Gets His Very Own Lawn Mower:"

Embed: )

* "Trump Platinum Card:"

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* "Trump Christmas Address Cold Open - SNL:"

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* "Elf on the Shelf Support Group - SNL:"

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* I don't like the mocking of his body and a few other things, but I've decided to post it anyway as it's the last Christmas special they will ever make. "Colbert's Canceled Christmas: The Last Noel:"

Embed: )

* "Hugh Jackman Reinterprets "Sweet Caroline" To Honor Stephen Colbert:"

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* ""Young Americans" - St. Vincent Takes David Bowie UNDER THE COVERS:"

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* ""Cold at Night" - The Mountain Goats ft. Tommy Stinson (LIVE on The Late Show):"

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* ""Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" - Tiler Peck From George Balanchine's "The Nutcracker":"

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*****
* 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.

* CW: Suicide "These hotlines are still available for LGBTQ+ youth after Trump kills 988 services:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-youth-hotlines-still-available

* "Hospital Crisis Watch:" https://www.protectourcare.org/hospital-crisis-watch/

More )

Weather Talk

Dec. 22nd, 2025 09:26 pm
ranunculus: (Default)
[personal profile] ranunculus
The river came up and did a little of very half hearted flooding yesterday, mostly it just ran bank full.  Today it didn't rain till well after dark. Tomorrow's forecast is for 1.25 inches, enough to bring the river right back up again, but I doubt the flooding will be bad here very close to the headwaters of our Russian River. 

The cows wandered into the horse pasture yesterday evening, prompting Donald and I to go out, cut a tree and a limb off the fence (they were fairly small) and get the fence working.  My it is nice to have repaired the wire under the road! It makes the whole system work better.  The meter says it is carrying 8 jewels, which is enough to make you really, really, really wish you had never touched the wire.  Speaking of he cows, they seem calm and happy so whatever was scaring them either isn't there any more or isn't in this pasture. Since there really is no boundary except a wire fence (with the gate open) I hope that whatever it was has moved on.  Donald and I walked from the top to the bottom of Jungle Pasture today and saw nothing out of the ordinary. No tracks even.

Due to the forecast of flooding and holiday traffic I took Donald to the Smart Train today. Tomorrow there might be flooding and it will be raining.  Today it was a pretty nice drive. 

Tomorrow. Chores around the house, replace light fixture at the Red Barn. 


Solstice

Dec. 21st, 2025 08:19 am
ranunculus: (Default)
[personal profile] ranunculus
Solstice greetings to those who celebrate this turning point. 
I am so glad that the days will be getting longer, no matter how small the increment at first. 

Update

Dec. 20th, 2025 08:22 pm
ranunculus: (Default)
[personal profile] ranunculus
I just ate a lovely pickled okra.  So yummy.  Must grow more okra next year...

Yesterday before our work on the Red Barn, Donald and I worked on the road.  It was pelting down rain which is ideal for showing just exactly where to use the shovel.  I got involved with some blackberry vines down by the neighbor's pond and have several nasty scratches which are still making a nuisance of themselves.  We got wet enough that we had to turn around and get dry clothes before going to the barn. Fortunately it isn't cold.  
Yesterday night I got a text that there were cows out in the horse pastures.  Cody said he'd come in the morning. 

Today the Fence Charger project began with running a new ground wire from the outlet on the southeast side of the barn through the 4 tackroom light fixtures and then through the new conduit to the new outlet on the northeast corner.  The outlet works properly, the fence charger got moved to its new location.  We cleaned up and headed home.  I had just sat down in my easy chair when the sense that "something wasn't right" turned into "I know what I forgot!"  While I -had- grounded the outlet to the regular barn grounding system, I had NOT run the 8 feet of wire needed to hook the fence charger to the special fence charger ground.  This is bad because fence chargers burn up if they don't have a ground.  Donald and I jumped in the car and ran back down.  It didn't take long to run that last cable (and for Donald to find the missing hammer).  Once again we cleaned up noting that tack room #1 needed a new light fixture (simple pull chain light).  

Meanwhile, back at the Ranch, Cody was continuing to be puzzled by the actions of the cows.  They have been bunched up pushing on the fences, trying to get out, ever since he put them in Jungle pasture.  These include old cows that have been coming to that pasture for 10+ years and have never caused problems.  Yesterday they were all in.  Today most of them had leaked through the fences into the pastures to the south.  I want to put up a trail cam and see if we can figure out what was scaring them. The older cows have years of living with mountain lions and bears.  They aren't especially afraid of them as neither a black bear or a mountain lion will usually attack a 1,200 # cow.  Calves yes, but there are only two, fairly big calves with the herd and they are fine. Coyotes aren't a threat.  Dogs will run cows but usually they will leave marks on the cows, shredded ears, bitten off tails or bites on the legs. None of that is apparent on these cows.  For now we have let the herd into the House pasture where they are much more content. 

Because the cows moved into the House pasture we closed the gates around the house itself and turned on the electric fence. Mostly this is to keep the cows out of the area directly in front of the house.  When Donald and I returned for the second time I wanted to double check that the fence was on.  It was, but Donald noticed that the fence was "snapping" near one gate post. Snapping indicates a short to ground which is bad. I know this particular problem, it has been an issue in the past. I think the wire that runs under the road was done with the same batch of wire that failed at the Red Barn.  After a rather lame attempt to patch it, we pulled a new wire through the pipe  that runs under the driveway.  Really didn't take long, but it was getting dark and the third flashlight of the day had dying batteries. It was sprinkling on and off.  We turned on the power and then had to replace the last 8 feet of electric fence tape which clearly had broken some of it's tiny wires and was also shorting. The final test of the fence showed it to be good.   By then it was full dark and definitely time to go in.  



 

Red Barn

Dec. 19th, 2025 08:29 pm
ranunculus: (Default)
[personal profile] ranunculus
Fifteen years ago the Red Barn was an elderly, falling apart mess.  I swapped board for work on it.  In general Tom did a great job, but he wasn't an electrician. That is why, when he moved the electrical panel from the north aisle onto the west wall of the barn he made a mistake.  I had laboriously pounded in a ground stake on the west wall for the fence charger. Tom appropriated it and turned it into the ground for the whole electrical system.  This issue has produced weird reading and unreliable electric fence, but it was never -quite- bad enough for me to fix.  This week it came up on the to-do list, mostly because last week Lily noticed a snapping noise of the system making the sheet metal on the barn live.  Oops. I turned the system off.  If I had to fix the darn thing I might as well move it too.
My plan has been to move it 50 feet back to the rear of the barn. There is an existing electric outlet I could plug into at the back there but it is in quite an exposed place in the southeast corner.  That bothered me.  It never dawned on me that I could move it to the northeast corner which is quite protected.  Finally a couple of days ago the idea finally surfaced. Duh.  
Yesterday Donald and I removed the wire that had been causing the problem and replaced it with a much better insulated one.  To be fair, the problem with the first wire was a manufacturers defect, but.   The new wire will now take signal from the back of the barn and bring it to a junction that services the front pastures instead of taking signal from the front of the barn and feeding the pastures in the rear and to the north. 
Today I drilled some holes, pushed conduit through and tapped into a light in tack room #4.  Tomorrow I need to finish running conduit down to a new outlet box.  Cody has already come and used his motorized pounder to install a 8 ft rod.  The ground there is terribly rocky.  We got the stake 6 1/2 feet into the ground and hit a BIG rock.  6 1/2 feet will have to do as a ground stake for the fence charger.  The manuals say that ground stakes have to be about 25 or 30 feet apart to be counted as separate.  This is 70 feet, so it should work. 
Next is 2 more short pieces of pipe,  an outlet box and  connecting the wires.  It will be really good to get this project done. 
gwydion: (Default)
[personal profile] gwydion
* There are a bunch of things to do before the Congress Critters go on Holiday, so I'm doing a truncated post again.
* "Who are the Bondi shooting victims? :" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgz15d5718o

* "Australia Begins Burying Victims of Bondi Shooting:" https://archive.ph/0NUrF

* "Australian police say Bondi Beach mass shooting was inspired by Islamic State group:" https://www.npr.org/2025/12/16/g-s1-102389/bondi-beach-shooting-inspired-islamic-state

* "Antisemitic slogans, smoke bombs reported at protests at Concertgebouw Hanukkah concert:" https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-880316
*** Immigration/I.C.E/Autocracy/Slow Motion Civil War/Violent Illegal Occupation of Blue Cities News ***

* "Tourists to US would have to reveal five years of social media activity under new Trump plan:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/10/tourists-social-media-trump

* "Sweeping US defense bill passes, with Ukraine, Venezuela provisions defying Trump:" https://archive.ph/yDKoK

* "House Republicans pass health care plan without re-upping insurance subsidies:" https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/12/17/congress/house-republicans-obamacare-subsidies-00695982

* "4 Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidies:" https://apnews.com/article/health-care-subsidies-aca-speaker-johnson-1087a9f64168d66b2acf9082af16c253

This is a discharge Petition to force a vote on ACA subsidies. Mike Johnson won't hold the vote now, but it is an excellent time to thank for siding with the Democrats on saving affordable healthcare for workers:

Brian Fitzpatrick (Pennsylvania)

Robert Bresnahan (Pennsylvania)

Ryan Mackenzie (Pennsylvania)

Mike Lawler (New York)

And to tell the rest of them what you think of their votes.

* "Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bill criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors passes with Democrats’ support:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/mtg-trans-youth-care-ban

* "Sarah McBride says GOP should protect Americans’ health coverage, not criminalize trans kids’ medical care:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/sarah-mcbride-gop-transgender-care
She wants to lock Doctors in prison over puberty blockers because that's how keen she is to harm children and teens.

It is unlikely to pass the Senate, but it can't hurt to remind your senators that it's important to protect trans children and their access to healthcare.

Three Democratic Quislings betrayed our community:

Henry Cuellar (Texas)

Vicente Gonzalez (Texas)

Don Davis (North Carolina)

If these are your Congress Critters, please call them to tell them what you think of them voting with Republicans to HARM CHILDREN.

Also, the following did not bother to vote against this terrible bill. Tell them why they need to show up for the queer community:

Eric Swalwell (California)

Lucy McBath (Georgia)

Joe Courtney (Connecticut)

There is a long, long history of Democrats throwing Trans People under the bus. A few years ago they did fight for us repeatedly in budget negotiations, and a lot of that was because Queer Folk and Allies called every time to tell them how important it is to keep gender affirming care accessible.

This bill likely won't pass the Senate, but the next one might if we don't make a lot of noise every time republicans try this.

It is also a GREAT time to call the Democrats who actually did stand up for us that you appreciate them doing that because we'll be fighting this battle over and over next year.

* "House overhauls KOSA in a new kids online safety package:" https://www.theverge.com/news/829492/house-energy-commerce-kids-online-safety-package

* "Don’t STEAL Act:" https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5048?s=1&r=1

* "H.R.5106 - Restore Trust in Congress Act:" https://thisfinecrew.dreamwidth.org/315708.html

* "End arms sales to UAE:" https://thisfinecrew.dreamwidth.org/318426.html

* "Big batch of Trump nominees moves through US Senate after Republicans change rules :" https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/big-batch-trump-nominees-moves-through-us-senate-after-republicans-change-rules

The Republican goal is to get as many unqualified, pro-fascist nominees throw as fast as possible to do as much long term damage as possible.

To give you an idea of how bad these nominees are:

* "A Congressman Had an Affair. Then He Put His Lover on the Payroll.:" https://archive.ph/wbcxQ

* "Is FEMA Getting Its Very Own RFK Jr.? The nation’s disaster-response agency needs serious people. Trump has picked a QAnon-friendly conspiracy theorist.:" https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/12/gregg-phillips-trump-fema-pick-conspiracy-theories.html
* Our job for the next year and a half 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.

We are trying to build a good list of resistance resources.

Please add more below if you have them.


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

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

* "Democracy 2025:" https://www.democracy2025.org/?utm_source=df-ad&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=21912407002&utm_content=721373734297&source=df-ad-gs&gad_source=1

* 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

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

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

Useful organizing links and resources: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/771859083592613888/hater-of-terfs-ive-already-reblogged-a-link-to?source=share

Protests: "50501 Events:" https://www.fiftyfifty.one/events

"ICE Raids Toolkit: Defend Against ICE Raids and Community Arrests:" https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/raids-toolkit/

Contains a raid tip hotline amoung other things. "Know Your Rights
LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY:" https://wearecasa.org/know-your-rights/
* "New FBI video shows man sought in Brown University shooting walking near police after attack:" https://abcnews.go.com/US/brown-university-shooting-manhunt-continues-fbi-offers-reward/story?id=128443272

* "Brown Shooter Still at Large After Nearly Three Days:" https://archive.ph/7szlm

* "Jewish Man Stabbed in Crown Heights:" https://collive.com/jewish-man-stabbed-in-crown-heights/

* "Exploring the Association Between COVID-19 and Avascular Necrosis: A Systematic Review :" https://www.cureus.com/articles/345835-exploring-the-association-between-covid-19-and-avascular-necrosis-a-systematic-review#!/

* "Scientists Trace Lupus to One of The World's Most Common Viruses:" https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-trace-lupus-to-one-of-the-worlds-most-common-viruses

* "The Stanford Prison Experiment was massively influential. We just learned it was a fraud.:" https://web.archive.org/web/20180613223948/https://www.vox.com/2018/6/13/17449118/stanford-prison-experiment-fraud-psychology-replication
* "Washington state takes stock of flooding damage as another atmospheric river looms:" https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/washington-state-takes-stock-flooding-damage-another-atmospheric-river-rcna248916

Some people were worried, but the Millennials and I are okay. We all live in areas that don't flood, though many others aren't so lucky.
* "Microsoft Scales Back AI Goals Because Almost Nobody Is Using Copilot:" https://www.extremetech.com/computing/microsoft-scales-back-ai-goals-because-almost-nobody-is-using-copilot

* "Permission Structures: How AI-skeptic Professors Can Still Help Students Write Papers:" https://mattdinan.substack.com/p/the-ai-skeptical-professors-guide?triedRedirect=true

* "Discovery in the Judean Desert Reveals a Widespread Practice of Forging Royal Purple Garments in Ancient Rome:" https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2025/11/discovery-in-the-judean-desert-reveals-a-widespread-practice-of-forging-royal-purple-garments-in-ancient-rome/

* "Rob Reiner’s son arrested on suspicion of homicide after director and his wife are found dead:" https://archive.ph/TPxZG

* "this is such a painful loss. my heart is broken.:" https://wilwheaton.net/2025/12/this-is-such-a-painful-loss-my-heart-is-broken/

* Trump decided to go full on victim blaming political attack on the murdered people and made it all about himself, because of course he did. "Trump baselessly says Rob Reiner died because he was anti-Trump, politicizing the director's killing:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-rob-reiner-died-politicizing-rcna249320

* "‘Gross new low’: Hayes reacts to Trump’s Rob Reiner post:"

Embed: )

* On Cryofreezing. "First of June: In April the CEO and CFO were arrested and the liquidators moved in to recover what they could.:" https://infinitegossip.ghost.io/first-of-june/

* "Raccoon Caught After Alcohol-Fueled Bender at Liquor Store Revealed to Have a Rap Sheet Including 2 Other Break-Ins:" https://people.com/raccoon-caught-at-liquor-store-revealed-to-have-a-rap-sheet-including-2-other-break-ins-11868546

* …And when I logged on Monday Night, Dreamwidth had rolled back a week. This could easily have been worse. I'd published the aggregate. I had to clean all the non-urgent news I scaffolded eightish days ago, but that's not time consuming. The nasty bit was I lost all the tumblr programming which I then had to dig around in tumblr queue to reconstruct. Sigh.

Poor Livia needed medicating, which she Hates. I'd been putting it off for her grief, but she needed it. I zapped her in her room, and she fought like a demon. I expected her to hide for 6-10 hours, but instead she came for consolation pets like Tavy used to. She gets medicated 4-5 times a year, but Tavy was getting medicine fairly often his whole life. He'd try to avoid it, but he always came right back for cuddles after and she used to look at him like he had lost his mind, but this time she tried it and really liked it.

Another little piece of him living on in her.

* The horror movie Tournament poll is close to the end: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydpolls/tagged/Horror%20Movies

*****
* 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.

* CW: Suicide "These hotlines are still available for LGBTQ+ youth after Trump kills 988 services:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-youth-hotlines-still-available

* "Hospital Crisis Watch:" https://www.protectourcare.org/hospital-crisis-watch/

More )

Storm

Dec. 15th, 2025 06:11 pm
ranunculus: (Default)
[personal profile] ranunculus
The next storm is due in later tonight. The car had to go in for an oil change, which thankfully M and Kim mostly wrangled.  M also drove the Gator back from the Cow Corrals where I had been using it.
I really wanted to finish painting the "feet" of the new/used picnic tables.  I scraped and sanded off more rust and managed to get everything painted plus the benches changed out on table 1 (I wanted all aluminum benches, but table 1 started out with wooden ones).  When that project was done there were leaves to remove from the road.  Yes, this is the third time I've removed leaves from the road this year and it is very nice that they are almost all on the ground for the year. . Fortunately that, and the dry weather, made it easy.  Unfortunately leaf removal didn't start till 2pm. It was almost 6 before I was done, and getting really dark.  The leaves on the last section were a very pale tan, so I could see when they moved. 
For some reason I'm tired.


12/6/25 - 12/15/25

Dec. 15th, 2025 01:31 pm
gwydion: (Default)
[personal profile] gwydion
* Prepped a ton of news, but as you will see below this week had too many things in it. I will do my best to catch up. Please don't take large topics not being touched as a lack of caring.


* "Four countries announce Eurovision 2026 boycott after Israel allowed to compete:" https://www.nme.com/news/music/four-countries-announce-eurovision-2026-boycott-after-israel-allowed-compete-3916030

How to Help:
Revive Gaza's farmland: https://apnature.org/en/gaza
PCRF: https://www.pcrf.net/
HEAL Palestine: https://www.healpalestine.org/
The Sameer Project: https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject
Gaza Soup Kitchen: https://gazasoupkitchen.org/

******

* "What we know about Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqjg22rey0lo

* Re: the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) of the United States of America: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-5-2025

* "Trump's speech on combating inflation turns to grievances about immigrants:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-economy-campaign-speech-pennsylvania-rcna248291

* "11 times Donald Trump has randomly brought up his ‘transgender for everybody’ obsession:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender-for-everyone-donald-trump

I'm including this here as he's using trans people as well as immigrants as scapegoats to distract from his disastrous economic policies during his Affordability/Scapegoating tour.

* "Lack of Republican answers puts Trump on the hook for health care crisis, housing crisis:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/lack-of-republican-answers-puts-trump-on-the-hook-for-health-care-crisis-housing-crisis-2475005507796

* "Trump’s old tricks fall flat from overuse in the face of hard realities:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/trump-s-old-tricks-fall-flat-from-overuse-in-the-face-of-hard-realities-2474341955640

* "Bernie Sanders blasts ‘pathological liar’ Trump for calling affordability a ‘hoax’ :" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/bernie-sanders-blasts-pathological-liar-trump-for-calling-affordability-a-hoax-2474618947979

*** Immigration/I.C.E/Autocracy/Slow Motion Civil War/Violent Illegal Occupation of Blue Cities News ***

* "College student deported during Thanksgiving trip could’ve fought removal as a kid, US says:" https://apnews.com/article/college-student-deported-thanksgiving-lopez-belloza-79bb528c96102cd72a50e707610d34b8

* I support the Boycott. "Starbucks workers' union expand month-long strike to more cities:" https://archive.ph/YjAmY

* "Why Walmart Wants to See the Starbucks Barista Strike Fail:" https://truthout.org/articles/why-walmart-wants-to-see-the-starbucks-barista-strike-fail/

* Reminder: Republicans want this to happen. It was in the budget they pushed through because they wanted to steal from worker's to give a massive tax cuts to billionaires.

* "Obamacare Users Face Higher Deductibles, Higher Premiums:" https://archive.ph/32bVl

* "ACA shoppers face sticker shock as Congress dithers on health care:" https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/12/15/nx-s1-5644978/aca-costs-congress-health-care

* "The Senate voted down dueling health proposals. Here’s what’s at stake for Americans:" https://apnews.com/article/health-care-affordable-care-act-senate-vote-e143b36cc01b4d7f27a1c07e17d1583c

If you plan to complain, best to do it now.

* "Capitol agenda: GOP struggles on affordability message:" https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/12/08/congress/republicans-affordability-2026-midterms-health-care-vote-00680489

* "House passes defense bill, forcing Pentagon's hand on boat strike videos:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/10/house-passes-ndaa-boat-strike-videos-00685641

* "‘Safety whitewash’: Defense bill spawns uproar over military helicopters in DC:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/12/safety-whitewash-defense-bill-spawns-uproar-over-military-helicopters-in-dc-00689408

* "Congress quietly strips right-to-repair provisions from US military spending bill:" https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/09/us_military_right_to_repair_stripped/

* "House overhauls KOSA in a new kids online safety package:" https://www.theverge.com/news/829492/house-energy-commerce-kids-online-safety-package

* "Don’t STEAL Act:" https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5048?s=1&r=1

* "H.R.5106 - Restore Trust in Congress Act:" https://thisfinecrew.dreamwidth.org/315708.html

* "End arms sales to UAE:" https://thisfinecrew.dreamwidth.org/318426.html

* Our job for the next year and a half 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.

We are trying to build a good list of resistance resources.

Please add more below if you have them.


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

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

* "Democracy 2025:" https://www.democracy2025.org/?utm_source=df-ad&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=21912407002&utm_content=721373734297&source=df-ad-gs&gad_source=1

* 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

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

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

Useful organizing links and resources: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/771859083592613888/hater-of-terfs-ive-already-reblogged-a-link-to?source=share

Protests: "50501 Events:" https://www.fiftyfifty.one/events

"ICE Raids Toolkit: Defend Against ICE Raids and Community Arrests:" https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/raids-toolkit/

Contains a raid tip hotline amoung other things. "Know Your Rights
LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY:" https://wearecasa.org/know-your-rights/
* "Indiana Republicans Just Defied Trump’s Pressure Campaign to Rig Their Congressional Maps:" https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/12/indiana-republican-redistricting-trump-bill-fails/

* "At least 11 Indiana Republicans were targeted with threats or swatting attacks amid redistricting pressure from Trump:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/indiana-republicans-swatting-attacks-redistricting-rcna246689

* "‘Absolutely extraordinary:’ Buttigieg on Trump’s Indiana redistricting flop:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/absolutely-extraordinary-buttigieg-on-trump-s-indiana-redistricting-flop-2474965571911

* Voting is so important. I keep saying it's essential to come out for off year and special elections and here is the proof. I would like to thank everyone who came out to vote.

* "In 2025, Democrats Flipped 21 Percent of GOP-Held Legislative Seats:" https://boltsmag.org/legislative-elections-results-2025/

* "‘Proud’ pro-LGBTQ+ Democrat flips Republican state House seat in Georgia electoral upset:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/eric-gisler-lgbtq-georgia-ally

* "Democrat Eileen Higgins wins Miami mayor’s race, beats Trump’s pick :" https://archive.ph/PPoos

* "How I Learned to Transcribe Braille in Prison :" https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2025/12/02/in-prison-ive-learned-to-transcribe-braille-and-found-joy/

* "Three lesbian attorneys general beating back Trumpism in court warn of marriage equality’s peril:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/lesbian-ag-marriage-equality-warning

* "Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes reached record-highs last year in this gay haven:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/anti-lgbtq-hate-crimes-california

* "Denver LGBTQ+ youth center closed indefinitely after burglar steals nearly $10K:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/denver-lgbtq-youth-center-burglary

* "Lesbian educator wins $700K after she was allegedly called a ‘witch’ in an ‘LGBTQ coven’:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lesbian-california-lawsuit-witch-coven

* "Tucker Carlson and Milo Yiannopoulos spend two hours spewing homophobia and pseudo-science :" https://www.advocate.com/news/carlson-yiannopoulos-homophobia

* "Women gamers boycott global esports tournament over trans ban:" https://www.advocate.com/news/dead-by-daylight-womens-world-cup-trans-ban

* "Man unexpectedly cured of HIV after stem cell transplant:" https://www.newscientist.com/article/2506595-man-unexpectedly-cured-of-hiv-after-stem-cell-transplant/

* "South Carolina officials report ‘accelerating’ measles outbreak" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/11/south-carolina-measles-outbreak

* "Sick in a Hospital Town: Why were the people in Albany, Georgia, so sick, when the town’s most powerful institution was a hospital?:" https://projects.propublica.org/albany-georgia-hospital/

* "Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/nov/22/free-birth-society-linked-to-babies-deaths-investigation
* "Elizabeth Kolbert - The Climate Crisis & “Life on a Little-Known Planet" | The Daily Show:"

Embed: )

* "A hidden Antarctic shift unleashed the carbon that warmed the world:" https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251202052209.htm

* "Satellites spot rapid “Doomsday Glacier” collapse:" https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251130205511.htm
* "They Worked Underground in the Uranium Mines. They've Been Surrounded by Death Ever Since.:" https://inthesetimes.com/article/they-worked-underground-in-the-uranium-mines-theyve-been-surrounded-by-death-ever-since-navajo-nation-war-trump-labor-abandoned-vanadium-cancer-lung-transplant-industry-homeland-southwest-atomic-energy-environment-justice?

* "Rhode Island's $85 Million Expansion Masquerading as Maintenance:" https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025-12-04-rhode-islands-85-million-expansion-masquerading-as-maintenance

* "Massachusetts is turning retired cranberry bogs into natural wetlands. They’re on track to rewild 1,000 acres:" https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/massachusetts-cranberry-bogs-rewild

* "How Solar Flares Could Have Corrupted An Airbus Plane :" https://gizmodo.com/how-solar-flares-could-have-corrupted-an-airbus-plane-2000693690

* "A Founder Got Fed Up With Potential Hires Using AI to ‘Fake It.’ What She Did Next Was Brilliant:" https://web.archive.org/web/20251206003801/https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/a-founder-got-fed-up-with-potential-hires-using-ai-to-fake-it-what-she-did-next-was-brilliant/91271819

* "Why Science’s press team won’t be using AI to write releases anytime soon:" https://lastwordonnothing.com/2025/11/12/why-science-press-team-wont-be-using-ai-to-write-press-releases-anytime-soon/

* "Massive Leak Shows Erotic Chatbot Users Turned Women’s Yearbook Pictures Into AI Porn:" https://www.404media.co/ai-porn-secret-desires-chatbot-face-swap/

* "The AI Invasion of Knitting and Crochet :" https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2025/11/24/the-ai-invasion-of-knitting-and-crochet/

* "AI-Powered Stuffed Animal Pulled From Market After Disturbing Interactions With Children:" https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-stuffed-animal-pulled-after-disturbing-interactions

* "The Right to Say "No":" https://2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com/the-right-to-say-no/

* "I don't care how well your "AI" works:" https://fokus.cool/2025/11/25/i-dont-care-how-well-your-ai-works.html

* "India tells smartphone makers to put state-run cyber safety app on new devices:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cedxyvx74p4o

* "Arduino’s new terms of service worries hobbyists ahead of Qualcomm acquisition:" https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/arduinos-new-terms-of-service-worries-hobbyists-ahead-of-qualcomm-acquisition/

* "Meta wins monopoly trial, convinces judge that social networking is dead:" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/11/meta-wins-monopoly-trial-convinces-judge-that-social-networking-is-dead/

* "Equal Rights Center v. Meta is the most important tech case flying under the radar:" https://www.brookings.edu/articles/equal-rights-center-v-meta-is-the-most-important-tech-case-flying-under-the-radar/

* "Earth’s early oceans hid the secret rise of complex life:" https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251206030755.htm

* "Scientists found the key to accurate Maya eclipse tables :" https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/11/study-how-the-maya-created-such-accurate-eclipse-tables/

* "The fading of Japan’s Shōwa era – in pictures:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2025/dec/02/fading-japan-showa-era-in-pictures

* "American “Heritage” vs. American History | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart:"

Embed: )

* "Amazing Photographs of People Posing With Giant Sponges in the Early 20th Century:" https://www.vintag.es/2025/12/giant-sponges.html?

* "Thousands of rare American recordings — some 100 years old — go online for all to enjoy :" https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/thousands-of-rare-american-recordings-go-online-for-all-to-enjoy

* "Forgotten photos reveal women who powered India's freedom struggle:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr435zp7wy5o

* "The Buried Treasure of Baltimore :" https://strangeco.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-buried-treasure-of-baltimore.html

* "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order: Episode 3: One Drop:" https://podcasts.apple.com/me/podcast/episode-3-one-drop/id1854194292?i=1000739710526

* "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order: Episode 4: Like an Ordinary American:" https://podcasts.apple.com/me/podcast/episode-4-like-an-ordinary-american/id1854194292?i=1000739710607

* "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order: Episode 5: Sheep and Goats:" https://podcasts.apple.com/me/podcast/episode-5-sheep-and-goats/id1854194292?i=1000741079876

* "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order: Episode 6: A Reckoning:" https://podcasts.apple.com/me/podcast/episode-6-a-reckoning/id1854194292?i=1000741082322

* "Years before Stonewall, a cafeteria riot became a breakthrough for trans rights:" https://www.advocate.com/news/comptons-cafeteria-riot-explained-transgender

* "‘We’ve been eating it for more than 100 years’: how one community turns stink bug infestations into lunch:" https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/21/turning-stink-bug-infestations-into-lunch-india-the-alternatives?

* "Rob Reiner, Legendary Comedic Actor and ‘Princess Bride’ Director, Found Dead in His Home:" https://variety.com/2025/film/news/rob-reiner-dead-princess-bride-spinal-tap-1236608541/

* "Rob Reiner, filmmaker and marriage equality advocate, and wife Michele dead in apparent homicide:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/rob-reiner-michele-reiner-homicide

* "As he turns 100, Dick Van Dyke is an unsung gay idol from an era of Judy, Liza, and Cher :" https://www.advocate.com/voices/dick-van-dyke-gay-idol

* It's been a really hard week for me physically. As is often the case in December, but AS and fibro are ramped up to 11 so I am exhausted and in the kind of pain that makes sleep difficult and unrestful. Add on I keep needing to be up during the day. Add on I'm still behind on bills from Tavy's final expenses. Add on the attempt to steal my car which makes starting it painful and physically demanding and also means it's been pissing down rain inside my car since the theft attempt left the window unguarded. Add on that New Millennial has been too ill to do standing up work for a couple of weeks so I ran out of things to feed Livia. (Livia needs to eat out of small plastic plates. Small and plate because anything else freaks her out so she doesn't eat and she's still off her feed and mostly hiding in my room. Plastic, because ceramic, Squirrel will step on and break when they go into visit her).

I keep trying to do things and failing. I keep trying to do things and injuring myself because my body won't work right. I keep trying to do things and because everything is awful and hurts, I keep forgetting a thing.

I thought I had 3-4 Millennials coming for gift exchange Wednesday night, so I made two types of cookies for them Tuesday Night. (I can't have egg yolks. I can have a little bit of egg whites. When I make meringues for guests, I use the yolks for a butter cookie variant right after. I was careful to leave out stuff the guests are allergic to). It ended up just being 2 coming buy for a brief exchange of things in the morning. I managed to find two things to box half of them up in, thinking I could give the other half to New Millennial to take home, but New Millennial didn't come.

I can eat the meringues. I just need to space them out over the course of several days. Meringues keep it you treat them right. The butter rum cookies do not, and If I'd known, I'd have dug out a third container and passed them to New Friend. Instead I gave them a bag of candies I was given that I couldn't eat. Sigh. So I'm trying to get Squirrel to eat them, but they are meant to be eaten with a dollop of I'm or preserves, and that's a lot of things for someone with their level of ADHD without getting distracted. (Step 1: Remember there are butter rum cookies. # 2 go get cookies. #3 Put cookies on plate. #4 get out jam. #5 get spoon. #6 Bring cookies back to eat with whatever food they were also making at the same time.

They do not like meringues. This is not me being mean.

The butter rum cookies came out absolutely perfect, which is a miracle as I hadn't made them in a couple of years and the recipe was entirely in my head. I was guestimating proportions and cooking time. I knew the temp was 350 and the ingredients, but proportions matter as does cooking time).

So I had been counting on New Millennial to wash Livia' dishes which meant me going out in the pouring rain to buy emergency ones at the dollar store. At night. And I needed to put oil in the car to take it anywhere. Which was hard because pain, exhaustion and my body not working right because this weather makes my AS worse. I am putting the oil in when I realize I can't see where the dipstick goes because it's hidden in shadow. Luckily a neighbor pulled up and they were willing to use their phone to help.

I also needed to tape up the window because the inept car thieves pulled off a bunch of weather tape. Which does not really work in the rain, but it couldn't wait any longer and partial protection is better than none. I now have literal fungus growing in my car because of asshole car thief who likely lives in my building.

I managed to chip two teeth, stab myself twice, and break the fragile toe last night and Still didn't find any Little Livia plates. I went to the aisle where they normally sell them, but they'd rearranged the store. Went and found the Employee. He sent me to a corner. Everything that used to be in the aisle with the little plates was there except plastic plates. Found the employee. He sent me to the opposite corner diagonally from the first corner. Yet more paper plates. I did find one packet of the Wrong Plastic Plates jammed in at random. These were too big and divided into three sections.

I bought them anyway, which was lucky as the next store didn't have them and the other two places I might have checked were closed as I set out really late, having waited for New Millenial in case they were coming. Livia refused to eat out of it. She was hungry enough Thursday night to eat about half her wet food. I went out searching a different store, as I had to take library books back anyway and buy a thing I forgot to buy Monday and Tuesday. No plastic plates.

On the upside, I did find the missing library book and take it back Thursday. If it had been in the car as I feared it would have been stolen or soaked, but it was literally where it was supposed to be, a place I'd searched 4-5 times in the two weeks it was overdue. It was thin and the much larger book next to it had it in shadow. When I moved that book to take it back there the missing one was. Sigh.

I am still chipping away at things that are still out of place from all the renovation stuff. I am mostly down to 1. living room table. 2. Some lighting stuff requiring a ladder, a good arm day, and me to not be exhausted and in pain. 3. the table behind my desk. 4. The tall desk.

The tall desk is a massive problem as a bunch of things are in boxes that need sorting, a bunch of things fell and got put back at random, I need a ladder and a day I'm not in pain and exhausted to clean and put the high shelf things back, and a bunch of things are piled that I'd need to put somewhere else while I'm sorting and cleaning. It's monumental and I just can't when my body is this bad, and the broken bone makes everything So Much Harder.

In the last week I did manage to put the Under desk stuff back and it's legitimately better arranged now than it was. I boxed the Behind the Monitor paperwork I generally need once or twice a year for Poverty Bureaucracy, so I keep it where I can get at it easily. I put three smaller boxes I need access to there, and I figure once I sort the paperwork, it can go back. (Usually somethings can get moved into longer term storage this far out from the last produce paperwork emergency, as some things expire. I have a second easy to grab spot for things that replace those things and I do a Grand sort whenever I need to do the bureaucracy.

Thursday, my arm was able to take the weight o I took a long term storage box upstairs to storage. I knew I had at one time two hard shell cat carriers and a soft kitten carrier. I know the soft carrier is upstairs in storage. I had one hard carrier downstairs for emergencies, but it broke the day Tavy died. I couldn't remember if we still had the purple hard shell, as I had last used it literally 15 years ago. It was up there and I was able to pull it which meant I could remove by a replacement carrier off the things I need but can't afford list.

I am scared I'm going to have to take Livia to the vet. Really, it's mourning most likely. she's very cat centric and she keeps having panics over not having a cat to hang out with for cat group nap time. The weight she is losing is her winter weight, but as of tonight, she's down to her spring weight and the having to deal with strange plates is not helping.

And there's always the chance it's not just mourning and she's sick again. Stress can trigger it.

I can't afford the vet. I spent everything I had and everything I could raise failing to save Tavy.

If she is sick, we're fucked.

UPDATE 3:38AM: It was absolutely Too Much for my artificial Shoulder in it's current state.

* I was already way behind on things, when Waterfox insisted I update, and one again fucked me over buy throwing out my damned tabs. I don't understand why Water and Firefox no longer save tabs when they update. I do not need six to 48 hours extra work. I'm hoping this one's six to eight, but we'll see. I really, really didn't need this.

UPDATE: It was not nearly as bad as last time. I estimate recovery is more the 2-3 hour range. It likely helps that I was caught up recently. It is possible some things will end up duplicate posted by accident. It is one thing to remember reading an article, another to remember if I posted the link.

Similarly, I will inevitably have lost articles. I am so sorry.

* So I used to love to do kits and things, but my hands really can't any more with the arthritis. I just don't have that kind of control. Periodically my Sister sends me kits and I save them along with other sitting down jobs for people to do on days when they aren't up to standing tasks.

This one my Sister sent for my birthday, and new Millennial has been working on it at times when they had taken a break, then realized they weren't up to doing more standing up work.

They finished it last time they were here. I downloaded the photos, promptly got swamped, but here they are now. This is a temporary spot for the photo shoot. A few nights ago I put it in my room where I can see it from my bed. Inevitable this meant moving books, but it fills me with delight, even with things not quite squared away.

https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/802872822284288000/so-i-used-to-love-to-do-kits-and-things-but-my?source=share

* Companion Cookies

Someone asked me for the recipe, so I'm posting the current iteration in case anyone wants it.

Ingredients:
8 med or six large egg yolks.
Vanilla Extract.
Butter Scotch, Rum and Butter, or Butter Rum Extract.
1 Cup Sugar.
2 cups flour (max).
butterscotch chips, toffee bits, and/or pecan bits.

Preheat 350 Degrees and butter your cookie pans.
8 med yolks or 6 large. Mix with vanilla and either butter scotch or rum and butter or butter rum extract to taste. (They used to be butter scotches, but I had a hard time finding the right extract so they became butter rum. Brandy extract will do in a pinch).

1 Cup sugar. Cream with:
1 Stick butter (1/2 cup) Mix with eggs. Add on low:
2 cups flour (max) +plus your choice of butterscotch chips, toffee bits, and or pecan bits.

It will get very stiff. Do them like drop cookies or roll them into balls on two greased baking sheets. Use a spoon to press an indentation on top.

Bake at 350 for 27 mins (Your oven may vary so look in on them at 20 to make sure another seven makes sense. It may be less if your oven runs hitter. Mine runs a little cold.

Serve with a selection of jams and/or preserves.

* Sunday: New Millennial is understandably still shaken up from an Incident* last week, but they came and removed a micro splinter that had started to encyst on my ankle, towards the back. There was no chance of me getting it out as while I could reach it with tweezers just barely I couldn't see it well enough to work on it in the position I'd need to be in to do that. It took ages and had time to get infected, but we disinfected it and it already feels better.

I did make some progress with sorting papers and doing paperwork, but am not remotely close to finishing. Sigh. Plus I'm behind on some things and just getting further and further behind. Poor Livia was ill Saturday night pretty much everywhere, poor thing, but it also meant I had to change the bed alone, borrowing a bunch of next week's spoons.

* The Incident did not happen here, but would have been bad enough on it's own without Everything Else, and is why they did not come Wednesday.

* I was about twenty minutes away from switching over to work on the aggregate when the lemon lenovo disconnected itself from the internet irrevocably. I tried the usual things, but it sure looked like the drivers which meant yet another trip to the Best Buy when it opened. Another hour lost, I thought, but I was wrong, it was two and a half. The tech guy wasn't scheduled for another hour. I settled in at the tech area anyway as they had chairs and I suspected my 5-10 minute fixed get done first thing if I was spread out at the counter. One of the computer department guys had nothing to do and took pity on me at 9:45, so I was fixed and gone before the actual tech help guy checked in.

I'd already blown the gas to get there and I needed TP and buns which are best bought at ethical grocery which is right there, but that took longer than expected, as inevitably there were people in the way and I thought of a couple other things best bought there. And then there was traffic. And the putting things away. And the cat reassurance.

So I am once again posting a truncated version of the aggregate because So Many things This Week. Apologies.

* The horror movie Tournament poll is close to the end: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydpolls/tagged/Horror%20Movies

* "Exploring Horror with Andrew Joseph White:" https://open.spotify.com/episode/7avEzaynjAyIUVX9TO0qkg?go=1&sp_cid=ff630af34f0cd6b4ddc6cd829351b957&nd=1&dlsi=48ed7a46a3f24530

* "A Rare Look Inside DC’s Famous FBI Spy House:" https://washingtonian.com/2025/12/11/a-rare-look-inside-dcs-famous-fbi-spy-house/

* "Armand lived in Venice during the absolute sluttiest period for mens’ clothes and I gotta talk about it.:" https://www.tumblr.com/apoptoses/703925802479321088?source=share

* "Hysterical Hades:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjD5xWrFBOM

* "Antithetical Ares:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZOJ2dngj-E8

* "Hellenic Himbos:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O4_RcjQuNFQ

* "Triregnum Trading Relics:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47wlilfCU4o

* "Peace Prices 2:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqbGCO1QLgI

* "Egregious English Kings 2:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cwxav-AMSRo

* "Philanthropic Phillipe:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nZ0RodpLPjU

* "Playing Plantagenet Politics:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8az1-Z7QLgc

* "Sleeping Beauty/Social Etiquette:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XxIkUsQJk_w

* "Sleeping Beauty/Slumber Secrecy:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/o6ikZaWbXmE

* "Pentagon Press Conference Cold Open - SNL:"

Embed: )

* "A Helping Hand - SNL:"

Embed: )

* "'Forks Out': A Benoit Blanc Sesame Street Mystery | Wake Up Dead Man | Netflix:"

Embed: )

* "These 15 Gorgeous Photographs Capture the Beautiful Art of Blown and Stained Glass:" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/15-gorgeous-photographs-capture-beautiful-art-blown-stained-glass-180987623/

* "50 Tiny Cats In Big Rooms Looking Way Too Precious For This World:" https://www.boredpanda.com/tiny-cats-big-spaces-pics/

* "Timey-Wimey Sweets:" https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/timey-wimey-sweets-2025

* "Sunday Sweets: Polar Opposites:" https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/sunday-sweets-polar-opposites-2025

*****
* 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.

* CW: Suicide "These hotlines are still available for LGBTQ+ youth after Trump kills 988 services:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-youth-hotlines-still-available

* "Hospital Crisis Watch:" https://www.protectourcare.org/hospital-crisis-watch/

More )

Update

Dec. 14th, 2025 06:20 pm
ranunculus: (Default)
[personal profile] ranunculus
About 3 weeks ago I ordered 8 fencing panels, plus some stall mats.  It was a big chunk of money.  Then I found 6 more panels second hand on Craig's List. More money.  Then I found some picnic tables on Craig's List.  They are 8 feet long with aluminum tops. A nice size. They are out of a park in Napa. I can see why they were being replaced, some are in really rough shape, while others are fairly nice.  I ended up with four usable tables and one that needs new legs.  The legs that are still usable are quite rusty where they were in contact with the ground.  I've spent several hours knocking rust off table legs (the kind that curl around to also support the bench) spraying them with primer and paint.  Trying to get it done before it rains.  I've got 3 out of four either done or at least painted with primer.  
Then there is saddle foo with Firefly.  Read more with Pics )

Christmas Bird Count

Dec. 14th, 2025 06:08 pm
ranunculus: (Default)
[personal profile] ranunculus
We had a lovely sunny day again for the annual Christmas Bird Count.  Not as many birds as last year, but we did see a kestrel  --  And -- a golden eagle twice!!
M recorded the eagle a couple of weeks ago, so I was on the lookout.  Yesterday I was up on top of Split Rock with Denise, my farrier.  We saw a bird fly by, actually below us because the rock is 4 stories high and up on the canyon wall.  My instant though was turkey vulture.  We have a lot of them. A fraction of a second later my brain said: nope, wrong wing shape and slightly browner - and it is flapping it's wings.  Then a red shouldered hawk attacked it, repeatedly. Hawks don't bother vultures.  Today we saw it again and saw it close it's wings as if to dive, another thing vultures never do. Vultures flap a couple of times and then soar. Our group today agreed that it had to be a golden eagle. 
I saw a downy woodpecker, which was new for me.  We have tons of acorn woodpeckers and some piliated woodpeckers but not downy's at the house.  So that was fun.  Also the meadowlarks were singing at Split Rock, and I love them.  Sadly Duck Lake, which is a vernal pond, had no water in it yet, so no ducks.  Last year there were several wood ducks there. 

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