Tags:
Went to bed developing a sore throat last night. Full blown sore throat this morning. RAT test: negative. Still feeling not-great.
I've said it before, but I really miss the PCR testing sites. I wouldn't even mind paying a subsidised price for it now, just to know that I wasn't spreading virus everywhere.
We'll see how I feel tomorrow when hockey game time rolls around.
--
Anyway, a bunch of links - old and new.
Women-Only Housing
This is an interesting article to me because I match many of the demographic markers, but none of the economic ones: I am a single woman and childless, but also in the fortunate financial position to have a roof over my head.
In Jane Austen language (because my brain is kind of in Regency mode): I am an Emma Woodhouse, rather than a Harriet Smith or even a Miss Bates (well, I might be Miss Bates so far as a willingness to chatter goes, but if so nobody has yet set me down Emma-style).
It's a UK Guardian article, so it talks about class which the Americans will think is a foreign term, but the journalist talks about it in the article: if your choices are limited because of economically-straitened situations, then you are essentially 'in service' to someone else no less than the maids of the 17th, 18th, and early 19th century were.
--
How little has changed about my id in 14 years: my id, let me show you it
--
AI: we need to talk about how AI is basically destroying the planet. I know this one is preaching to the choir: fandom is well aware of the problems with AI - we're the 'class' of people it's stealing from. But fandom may not be aware of the ecological destruction that AI is causing.
We need to talk about Trader Joe's: apparently the well-known and much-loved chain is in the 'business' of copycatting small indie foodstuff producers by pretending they'll sell the indie's product in their stores and then just coming out with their own brand version of it.
It's Obviously The Phones. Why are people having less sex? (Other than that random men are obviously less reliable than bears, I mean) It's the phones, stupid! No, actually, it's certainly a significant factor. It's not the reason and the whole of the reason, but it doesn't have to be. A better world is not going to be built by increasing our screen time.
One More Day: drugs, overdoses, and what I see as the power of a redemption narrative, even if that narrative doesn't provide a workable solution.
Pastor's Wedding Night Advice To Women Opens A Conversation On Harmful Evangelica Teaching On Sex
And from the same publication, We're On A Mission From God: Christians, the Church, and Christian Nationalism.
I've said it before, but I really miss the PCR testing sites. I wouldn't even mind paying a subsidised price for it now, just to know that I wasn't spreading virus everywhere.
We'll see how I feel tomorrow when hockey game time rolls around.
--
Anyway, a bunch of links - old and new.
Women-Only Housing
This is an interesting article to me because I match many of the demographic markers, but none of the economic ones: I am a single woman and childless, but also in the fortunate financial position to have a roof over my head.
In Jane Austen language (because my brain is kind of in Regency mode): I am an Emma Woodhouse, rather than a Harriet Smith or even a Miss Bates (well, I might be Miss Bates so far as a willingness to chatter goes, but if so nobody has yet set me down Emma-style).
It's a UK Guardian article, so it talks about class which the Americans will think is a foreign term, but the journalist talks about it in the article: if your choices are limited because of economically-straitened situations, then you are essentially 'in service' to someone else no less than the maids of the 17th, 18th, and early 19th century were.
--
How little has changed about my id in 14 years: my id, let me show you it
--
AI: we need to talk about how AI is basically destroying the planet. I know this one is preaching to the choir: fandom is well aware of the problems with AI - we're the 'class' of people it's stealing from. But fandom may not be aware of the ecological destruction that AI is causing.
We need to talk about Trader Joe's: apparently the well-known and much-loved chain is in the 'business' of copycatting small indie foodstuff producers by pretending they'll sell the indie's product in their stores and then just coming out with their own brand version of it.
It's Obviously The Phones. Why are people having less sex? (Other than that random men are obviously less reliable than bears, I mean) It's the phones, stupid! No, actually, it's certainly a significant factor. It's not the reason and the whole of the reason, but it doesn't have to be. A better world is not going to be built by increasing our screen time.
One More Day: drugs, overdoses, and what I see as the power of a redemption narrative, even if that narrative doesn't provide a workable solution.
Pastor's Wedding Night Advice To Women Opens A Conversation On Harmful Evangelica Teaching On Sex
And from the same publication, We're On A Mission From God: Christians, the Church, and Christian Nationalism.
Tags:
After making a Regency-style dress yesterday, the join points on my right leg muscles are absolutely on fire, and my back is making twingy feelings. Actually everything on my right side that twinges is all twinging today. Eyeball, upper gum, wrist, fingers, lower back, gluteus maximum, calf point...
I just want to lie down. Pain is tiring.
But the dress, so far!
I don't like the way I've done the zipper, but I'm not sure I have an alternative right now.
--
A few links.
Canto Mooncake Recipe
Very classic, non-blog style recipe.
If we’re going to be shameless about bodies and sex, do it. Talk about menstruation, childbirth, menopause, everything. Use all of it to think about God. Have a theology of periods, preached from the pulpit on Sunday morning.
How the New Testament Turned Marriage in the Ancient World on Its Head
It's an actual essay with an abstract and downloadable bits. I was going to read this, but I'm not sure I have the brain for it right now.
“Classical Fundamentalism” vs “Ideological Neo-Fundamentalism”: How do we change lives?
I'm not sure I understand all this, but it's surely interesting.
Women-Only Housing in Britain
This is an interesting article to me: in part because I fall into the demographic space of a single, childless woman, but not into the demographic space of a woman who can't afford her own roof and lifestyle. In Jane Austen language: I am Emma Woodhouse, rather than Harriet Smith or Miss Bates (well, I might be Miss Bates, but if so nobody has yet set me down Emma-style).
Finally, I've been going through my old journal entries and found this rant. How little has changed about my id in 14 years...
I just want to lie down. Pain is tiring.
But the dress, so far!
I don't like the way I've done the zipper, but I'm not sure I have an alternative right now.
--
A few links.
Canto Mooncake Recipe
Very classic, non-blog style recipe.
If we’re going to be shameless about bodies and sex, do it. Talk about menstruation, childbirth, menopause, everything. Use all of it to think about God. Have a theology of periods, preached from the pulpit on Sunday morning.
How the New Testament Turned Marriage in the Ancient World on Its Head
It's an actual essay with an abstract and downloadable bits. I was going to read this, but I'm not sure I have the brain for it right now.
“Classical Fundamentalism” vs “Ideological Neo-Fundamentalism”: How do we change lives?
I'm not sure I understand all this, but it's surely interesting.
Women-Only Housing in Britain
This is an interesting article to me: in part because I fall into the demographic space of a single, childless woman, but not into the demographic space of a woman who can't afford her own roof and lifestyle. In Jane Austen language: I am Emma Woodhouse, rather than Harriet Smith or Miss Bates (well, I might be Miss Bates, but if so nobody has yet set me down Emma-style).
Finally, I've been going through my old journal entries and found this rant. How little has changed about my id in 14 years...
Tags:
Found this typed-up post in one of my Evernote collections, can't remember if I posted it or not. But if I did, it was last year, or possibly the year before?
ETA: might be as far back as 2019-2020!
--
I got many of these from Sarah Bessey's January Field Notes - a subscriber centric newsletter for a Canadian Christian (author of Jesus Feminist) whose December and January editions are available to non-subscribers.
New York Times: to take on the religious right, you're going to need a religious left
Unfortunately I can't read this because I've run out of free NYT articles and I'm outta cash. But I should have them next month. Maybe.
Buzzfeed:
Jubilee Baptist church on debt, forgiveness, and socialism: That’s one of several straightforward ideas at the heart of Jubilee, a church guided by the overarching premise that if God does, indeed, care about our daily lives, then he also cares about the ways that we currently suffer in them. And the way so many of us suffer has to do with money, and debt, and all sorts of intersecting forms of oppression. To ignore these things is to abdicate the church’s role in society — and cede its place in daily life.
One of the things that this church takes seriously is debt repayment without necessitating gratitude. At the time of the article's writing, they were helping out a 37 year old woman who was trying to caretake several kids by paying her rent and giving her $400/mth for groceries without requiring her to owe them anything. She doesn't have to attend, send her kids there, tell them her story or her kids' stories.
Oh yeah, and as per usual, don't read the comments...
Medium:
my semester with the snowflakes: A fifty-two year old veteran walks into an ivy-league university. But it's no joke, just the start of some beautiful friendships...
How To Be A Better White Person: and you don't have to talk to even one black person to do it!
Five Corrupt Pillars of Climate Change
The Guardian:
Climate breakdown increases violence against women.
( ramble; I don't even know how old )
--
Contract document finally came through and has been signed. Whew. Was starting to worry!
ETA: might be as far back as 2019-2020!
--
I got many of these from Sarah Bessey's January Field Notes - a subscriber centric newsletter for a Canadian Christian (author of Jesus Feminist) whose December and January editions are available to non-subscribers.
New York Times: to take on the religious right, you're going to need a religious left
Unfortunately I can't read this because I've run out of free NYT articles and I'm outta cash. But I should have them next month. Maybe.
Buzzfeed:
Jubilee Baptist church on debt, forgiveness, and socialism: That’s one of several straightforward ideas at the heart of Jubilee, a church guided by the overarching premise that if God does, indeed, care about our daily lives, then he also cares about the ways that we currently suffer in them. And the way so many of us suffer has to do with money, and debt, and all sorts of intersecting forms of oppression. To ignore these things is to abdicate the church’s role in society — and cede its place in daily life.
One of the things that this church takes seriously is debt repayment without necessitating gratitude. At the time of the article's writing, they were helping out a 37 year old woman who was trying to caretake several kids by paying her rent and giving her $400/mth for groceries without requiring her to owe them anything. She doesn't have to attend, send her kids there, tell them her story or her kids' stories.
"We want to be respectful of her story and what we do with the Jubilee Fund in a way that’s not exploitative. Capitalism put her in a bind, and as a church we need to do what we can."
Oh yeah, and as per usual, don't read the comments...
Medium:
my semester with the snowflakes: A fifty-two year old veteran walks into an ivy-league university. But it's no joke, just the start of some beautiful friendships...
How To Be A Better White Person: and you don't have to talk to even one black person to do it!
Five Corrupt Pillars of Climate Change
The Guardian:
Climate breakdown increases violence against women.
( ramble; I don't even know how old )
--
Contract document finally came through and has been signed. Whew. Was starting to worry!
Tags:
A links dump. The top one is the most recent one I read, and it's mostly about Australian politics, but an interesting dive into the new politics happening around our 'wealthy electorates dumping the conservative party' trends.
The Colour Of Money: Are the teals, representing some of the nation’s wealthiest electorates, our best hope for addressing inequality?
--
A bunch of old links:
guns and uvalde
I don't just want fewer guns, I want a community that cares for me
How To Reduce Shootings...back in 2017: still relevant today
Church Pew Weddings
Indian migration in Australia: Indians will shortly outnumber Chinese as the largest migrant group to Australia.
Websites as bad architecture: what lies beneath - and oh do I feel this as someone who's had to deal with website management through the ages...
The Unmasking Of Evangelicalism: all the shit from those chickens coming home to roost.
Rethinking Evangelicalism: does British Evangelicalism have its own set of problems? Oh yes, absolutely. On the other hand, the toxic cocktail of religious dogma, capitalist prosperity gospel, and Christian nationalism is still marginal here, so maybe we have less toxic options than American Evangelicalism. Something which I would have liked to point out to the American Evangelical guy who got pissy when I noted the issues US Evangelicals were facing.
There are more, but they're not presently detailed and I want to re-read them before I post them.
The Colour Of Money: Are the teals, representing some of the nation’s wealthiest electorates, our best hope for addressing inequality?
--
A bunch of old links:
guns and uvalde
I don't just want fewer guns, I want a community that cares for me
How To Reduce Shootings...back in 2017: still relevant today
Church Pew Weddings
Indian migration in Australia: Indians will shortly outnumber Chinese as the largest migrant group to Australia.
Websites as bad architecture: what lies beneath - and oh do I feel this as someone who's had to deal with website management through the ages...
The Unmasking Of Evangelicalism: all the shit from those chickens coming home to roost.
Rethinking Evangelicalism: does British Evangelicalism have its own set of problems? Oh yes, absolutely. On the other hand, the toxic cocktail of religious dogma, capitalist prosperity gospel, and Christian nationalism is still marginal here, so maybe we have less toxic options than American Evangelicalism. Something which I would have liked to point out to the American Evangelical guy who got pissy when I noted the issues US Evangelicals were facing.
There are more, but they're not presently detailed and I want to re-read them before I post them.
Tags:
The Guardian: US Maternal Mortality Rate is more than 2x that of Australia
How Rick Warren of Saddleback Church became an egalitarian
I really want to buy this pattern it's so freaking pretty! I should. But I have dozens of other quilt patterns that I still haven't and *sigh*.
Webcomic: Boo! It's sex!
Trying to sell things is an absolute nightmare for me. Nobody ever wants to buy stuff.
Still haven't heard from the windows guys. I suspect it will be April before they contact us, and the work won't be done until May... Also, I don't think B1 quite realises how much dust and dirt and stuff will be there.
Also, she's had a difficult client, one who was supposed to be done back in, oh, January. It's now mid-March and B1 is starting to think that the only way she's going to get away from this client is to quit her agency. Which...the client is certainly a problem: both anxious to get the best that the system can offer without comprehending the limitations of the support workers...or their right to a weekend.
A dozen calls from Friday afternoon until Sunday night!
How Rick Warren of Saddleback Church became an egalitarian
I really want to buy this pattern it's so freaking pretty! I should. But I have dozens of other quilt patterns that I still haven't and *sigh*.
Webcomic: Boo! It's sex!
Trying to sell things is an absolute nightmare for me. Nobody ever wants to buy stuff.
Still haven't heard from the windows guys. I suspect it will be April before they contact us, and the work won't be done until May... Also, I don't think B1 quite realises how much dust and dirt and stuff will be there.
Also, she's had a difficult client, one who was supposed to be done back in, oh, January. It's now mid-March and B1 is starting to think that the only way she's going to get away from this client is to quit her agency. Which...the client is certainly a problem: both anxious to get the best that the system can offer without comprehending the limitations of the support workers...or their right to a weekend.
A dozen calls from Friday afternoon until Sunday night!
After the East Coast inland floods, insurance payouts may not come: people learning (most painfully) that the first concern of companies is not their customers, but their shareholders. As such, they will put their profits and financial viability before the people who are paying them every time.
A black cemetary was found in Virginia when Microsoft started building a new office. It got moved, quietly, without fanfare or fuss, beneath the noses of the people whose ancestors were buried there. And this quiet squirrelling away of human remains and burial grounds apparently isn't unusual when businesses, organisations, and corporations come upon black cemetaries - many of which aren't publically recorded in the way of white-and-general cemetaries.
Rapture Anxiety: I had a 'rapture anxiety' period myself. I don't remember if I grew out of it, or if I realised that that wasn't what the biblical teaching was. Also: if God had 'signed, sealed, and delivered' me as I was taught, then whatever happened, I was His. Wasn't His grace enough? And if it wasn't, then why was I bothering with God in the first place?
Phosphorus: you've rarely heard of it, but you'll starve for want of it: it's a report from the UK, but what's happening in the UK is happening everywhere, and this is somethign that we're not going to notice...until the harvests fail.
A black cemetary was found in Virginia when Microsoft started building a new office. It got moved, quietly, without fanfare or fuss, beneath the noses of the people whose ancestors were buried there. And this quiet squirrelling away of human remains and burial grounds apparently isn't unusual when businesses, organisations, and corporations come upon black cemetaries - many of which aren't publically recorded in the way of white-and-general cemetaries.
Rapture Anxiety: I had a 'rapture anxiety' period myself. I don't remember if I grew out of it, or if I realised that that wasn't what the biblical teaching was. Also: if God had 'signed, sealed, and delivered' me as I was taught, then whatever happened, I was His. Wasn't His grace enough? And if it wasn't, then why was I bothering with God in the first place?
Phosphorus: you've rarely heard of it, but you'll starve for want of it: it's a report from the UK, but what's happening in the UK is happening everywhere, and this is somethign that we're not going to notice...until the harvests fail.
Tags:
Given the 'th' sound vs the 't' sound, it should probably be Tuesday is for Twitter. But whatever.
The best covers of "How Far I'll Go" from Moana.
LOVE the metal ones.
--
Ever wondered Who Is The Most 'Florida Man' in the Bible? Apparently David Carlson has!
I mean, that is kind of the point of the bible innit? That God takes the ridiculous, inane, arrogant, and stupid, and makes them His own.
--
The Sheer Britishness Of The Queue To View The Queen's Dead Body. As someone observed, it's very Douglas Adams.
Frankly, I'd hate to be the person who had to cut the line off at the end. Can you imagine?
--
Why 3.5 stars on Yelp is the sweet spot of Chinese restaurants.
He's not wrong about finding the balance.
--
At the edge of The Little Mermaid schemozzle, a note on exactly why TLM (Hans Christian Andersen's version) was written with the unhappy ending. Which explains so much about the original story!
--
Oh, and in the eternal battle of Australian Politics, there is always someone calling union members "thugs". However, those so-called thugs may not look quite as envisioned. Did you know that the largest unions in Australia are: teachers, nurses, and hospitality industry workers? And do you know the demographics of the bulk of those industry workers?
The best covers of "How Far I'll Go" from Moana.
LOVE the metal ones.
--
Ever wondered Who Is The Most 'Florida Man' in the Bible? Apparently David Carlson has!
I mean, that is kind of the point of the bible innit? That God takes the ridiculous, inane, arrogant, and stupid, and makes them His own.
--
The Sheer Britishness Of The Queue To View The Queen's Dead Body. As someone observed, it's very Douglas Adams.
Frankly, I'd hate to be the person who had to cut the line off at the end. Can you imagine?
--
Why 3.5 stars on Yelp is the sweet spot of Chinese restaurants.
He's not wrong about finding the balance.
--
At the edge of The Little Mermaid schemozzle, a note on exactly why TLM (Hans Christian Andersen's version) was written with the unhappy ending. Which explains so much about the original story!
--
Oh, and in the eternal battle of Australian Politics, there is always someone calling union members "thugs". However, those so-called thugs may not look quite as envisioned. Did you know that the largest unions in Australia are: teachers, nurses, and hospitality industry workers? And do you know the demographics of the bulk of those industry workers?
Tags:
Some of these articles are a little old. I'm bad at putting them up timely; and also bad at reading them as soon as they come along.
--
general
Ethics Should Not Be a Luxury
On first glance, living as an ethical consumer looks to be getting easier.
The Difference Between Protest And Resistance
The Path Forward
Jesse Galganov disappeared while backpacking in Peru nearly five years ago. When a friend goes missing, writes Ben Libman, there’s both everything and nothing to do about it.
Distant Relatives
Montrealers came home shattered from state-sponsored brainwashing experiments. Decades later, their families are finally finding each other.
A History of Olympic Gender Testing
It's not pretty.
The Cost Of Living and the Rise Of The Second Hand Economy
I admit to finding this a little dated, if only because I've been in the second-hand economy for some seven or eight years now.
race and the problem of white supremacy
Abolishing Critical Race Theory preserves White Supremacy
Throughout history, white people have preserved their power by hoarding knowledge or banning the access of knowledge to Black people and allies. For example, the government created legislation in the 1700s that prohibited enslaved people from learning to read and write. Additionally, school districts banned abolitionist readings in schools, claiming the people who were enslaved would start a rebellion.
How The Empire Degraded Britain
When he was not trying to sweep slavery and colonialism under the rug – lest a whisper of reparations arises – the former UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden wanted you to believe that it was in the gift of the British to bestow liberty on the world.
White Churches, It’s Time to Go Pro-Life on Guns
The Christian majority in America needs to shake off its malaise and work with Black pastors to end shooting violence
general politics
Tyrants Gutting Democracy with Post-Truth Populism Polarisation
The fragility of democracy, which I don't need to tell you guys about
It's hard to fathom what a hateful place Australia has become
From back in May; things have shifted, although not fully changed. Still, there is movement at the station and while it's not as much as we need, it's better than nothing at all.
Technocrats can't think beyond six years
This is why the climate is screwed. We're not heading for a crisis, we're heading for a collapse.
--
general
Ethics Should Not Be a Luxury
On first glance, living as an ethical consumer looks to be getting easier.
The Difference Between Protest And Resistance
The Path Forward
Jesse Galganov disappeared while backpacking in Peru nearly five years ago. When a friend goes missing, writes Ben Libman, there’s both everything and nothing to do about it.
Distant Relatives
Montrealers came home shattered from state-sponsored brainwashing experiments. Decades later, their families are finally finding each other.
A History of Olympic Gender Testing
It's not pretty.
The Cost Of Living and the Rise Of The Second Hand Economy
I admit to finding this a little dated, if only because I've been in the second-hand economy for some seven or eight years now.
race and the problem of white supremacy
Abolishing Critical Race Theory preserves White Supremacy
Throughout history, white people have preserved their power by hoarding knowledge or banning the access of knowledge to Black people and allies. For example, the government created legislation in the 1700s that prohibited enslaved people from learning to read and write. Additionally, school districts banned abolitionist readings in schools, claiming the people who were enslaved would start a rebellion.
How The Empire Degraded Britain
When he was not trying to sweep slavery and colonialism under the rug – lest a whisper of reparations arises – the former UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden wanted you to believe that it was in the gift of the British to bestow liberty on the world.
White Churches, It’s Time to Go Pro-Life on Guns
The Christian majority in America needs to shake off its malaise and work with Black pastors to end shooting violence
general politics
Tyrants Gutting Democracy with Post-Truth Populism Polarisation
The fragility of democracy, which I don't need to tell you guys about
It's hard to fathom what a hateful place Australia has become
From back in May; things have shifted, although not fully changed. Still, there is movement at the station and while it's not as much as we need, it's better than nothing at all.
Technocrats can't think beyond six years
This is why the climate is screwed. We're not heading for a crisis, we're heading for a collapse.
Tags:
Still haven't heard back about the time off for the October trip; unfortunately it looks like the other programmer wants to take time off in October, too! ARGH!
Anyway, I have THE ENTIRE WEEK OFF. Stay home, sleep in, do a few things here and there. Plan the house renos. Things to do in my own time.
Having headaches again. I really should try to nail down what they are and why I'm getting them.
( superannuation/401K thoughts: warning, discussion of money )
The Year The (Aussie) Media Lost Its Mind: basically, all Aussie media pretty much went bonkers right around the election - from March through to May. Reporting on all the stupidest things, blowing up the tiniest things for Labor, ignoring or dismissing or flat-out gaslighting when the Liberals fucked things up.
Even now we're still dealing with all the former conservative politicians giving their opinions. Today was moderate conservative former member for an area pretty close to me writing an opinion piece for the Guardian about how the Liberals doubling-down on "climate change is dumb, unions are dirtybadevil, we don't need no stinking moderates" is bloody stupid. But the last few weeks have been all these conservative ex-pollies being invited onto talk shows, opinion shows. political correspondent discussions to talk about plans that they can't implement because they're not in power, and to criticise points of form rather than anything of substance. UGH.
Anyway, speaking of fucked up political commentary, I'm guessing that the Aussie mob Juice Media got bored in the last couple of months since our election. They haven't got anything to really mock yet since parliament only resumed yesterday, so...they went for the SCOTUS. Oh yes, they did.
"Honest Media Ads: SCOTUS"
Another Aussie comedy act: Sammy J sings 'an ode to minimum standards' and it is freaking hilarious.
On a more serious note, if you want to see statemanship (stateswomanship?), then the inaugural parliamentary speeches for two of the new female MPs are beautiful
Sally Sitou (Labor, Reid) is from a background much like mine - family got out of China, made the jump to south-east Asia, and finally came to Australia - an uplifting story of hope, love, family, and a land of opportunity. And Monique Ryan (Independent, Kooyong) toppled the former government's treasurer (and alleged "crown prince" of the federal party) to the side, and her speech is absolute poetry.
Oh, and try this photo of the eight new 'crossbenchers' (independents, neither Labor nor Liberal) - eight women, standing at the table as they're 'sworn in' to the new parliament. An entirely new sight for the Australian parliament, for all that we were one of the first in the world to have women in parliament at all.
I don't expect supergreat things from the Labor government, but there are all kinds of hopeful little things happening right now and I will take the delight where I can.
May this parliament be the start of something more!
Finally, a video: I Know Victoria's Secret (flashmob)
Warning, it's a bit of an earworm.
All righty, I'm off to read the latest Nalini Singh that's just come out - started it last night, then fell asleep. I'm just so tired these days...
Anyway, I have THE ENTIRE WEEK OFF. Stay home, sleep in, do a few things here and there. Plan the house renos. Things to do in my own time.
Having headaches again. I really should try to nail down what they are and why I'm getting them.
( superannuation/401K thoughts: warning, discussion of money )
The Year The (Aussie) Media Lost Its Mind: basically, all Aussie media pretty much went bonkers right around the election - from March through to May. Reporting on all the stupidest things, blowing up the tiniest things for Labor, ignoring or dismissing or flat-out gaslighting when the Liberals fucked things up.
Even now we're still dealing with all the former conservative politicians giving their opinions. Today was moderate conservative former member for an area pretty close to me writing an opinion piece for the Guardian about how the Liberals doubling-down on "climate change is dumb, unions are dirtybadevil, we don't need no stinking moderates" is bloody stupid. But the last few weeks have been all these conservative ex-pollies being invited onto talk shows, opinion shows. political correspondent discussions to talk about plans that they can't implement because they're not in power, and to criticise points of form rather than anything of substance. UGH.
Anyway, speaking of fucked up political commentary, I'm guessing that the Aussie mob Juice Media got bored in the last couple of months since our election. They haven't got anything to really mock yet since parliament only resumed yesterday, so...they went for the SCOTUS. Oh yes, they did.
"Honest Media Ads: SCOTUS"
Another Aussie comedy act: Sammy J sings 'an ode to minimum standards' and it is freaking hilarious.
On a more serious note, if you want to see statemanship (stateswomanship?), then the inaugural parliamentary speeches for two of the new female MPs are beautiful
Sally Sitou (Labor, Reid) is from a background much like mine - family got out of China, made the jump to south-east Asia, and finally came to Australia - an uplifting story of hope, love, family, and a land of opportunity. And Monique Ryan (Independent, Kooyong) toppled the former government's treasurer (and alleged "crown prince" of the federal party) to the side, and her speech is absolute poetry.
Oh, and try this photo of the eight new 'crossbenchers' (independents, neither Labor nor Liberal) - eight women, standing at the table as they're 'sworn in' to the new parliament. An entirely new sight for the Australian parliament, for all that we were one of the first in the world to have women in parliament at all.
I don't expect supergreat things from the Labor government, but there are all kinds of hopeful little things happening right now and I will take the delight where I can.
May this parliament be the start of something more!
Finally, a video: I Know Victoria's Secret (flashmob)
jaxwritessongs I wrote a song called Victoria’s Secret and I always wanted to be part of a Flash Mob. 👯♀️👯♀️ 👙 🤫 #victoriassecret #flashmob #bodypositivity #foryou ♬ Victoria’s Secret - Jax
Warning, it's a bit of an earworm.
All righty, I'm off to read the latest Nalini Singh that's just come out - started it last night, then fell asleep. I'm just so tired these days...
Tags:
I opted not to go to hockey training tonight after going to my PT session. I think I might have to break up my PT sessions better, because the timing isn't really working with my schedule - it's too interruptive: I don't think my body can take it all at once.
--
There is no shame worse than poor teeth in a rich world: or You're Never Fully Dressed Without A (Full, Shiny, White-toothed) Smile.
Gees Bend Quilters online sales during the pandemic:
The Reopening of King Soopers
How Marjorie Hillis Changed The Way The World Thought About Single Women...In 1936
The Internet Fuels Conspiracy Theories (But Not In The Way You Might Expect)
Friendship: The Greatest Love Story
What Does It Mean To Cherish Someone: or, Does He Really Love You?
Common Misconceptions About Co-Living
Letters From Australia: the federal election (back on the 19th May)
Eight Levels Of Charitable Giving: I like this perspective.
Good Riddance To Australia's First Politicostalist
The Serviceberry: Abundance And Sharing It
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There is no shame worse than poor teeth in a rich world: or You're Never Fully Dressed Without A (Full, Shiny, White-toothed) Smile.
Gees Bend Quilters online sales during the pandemic:
The Reopening of King Soopers
How Marjorie Hillis Changed The Way The World Thought About Single Women...In 1936
The Internet Fuels Conspiracy Theories (But Not In The Way You Might Expect)
Friendship: The Greatest Love Story
What Does It Mean To Cherish Someone: or, Does He Really Love You?
Common Misconceptions About Co-Living
Letters From Australia: the federal election (back on the 19th May)
Eight Levels Of Charitable Giving: I like this perspective.
Good Riddance To Australia's First Politicostalist
The Serviceberry: Abundance And Sharing It
Probably not picked up amidst everything with OzDay going on: Australia drops on the anti-corruption index.
A Country Where The Poor Drown
As Floods Worsen, It's Time To Rethink How Queenslanders Build For The Future
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The Strong Towns approach: about building towns that work - I think this is the one about towns that actually will pay for themselves rather than the ones that require cheap petrol/diesel, and which will fall apart as councils/counties run out of money to fund them.
Abolition of the family: Twin Oaks Communal Parenting
Because We Could Not Stop For Death: I'm pretty sure this one is about COVID
Carl Lentz and the Trouble At Hillsong: relevant since both Houstons (father who founded, and son who took over) have had to resign from the directorship of the church - the father a decade ago, the son very recently.
Something Something American Politics? Sorry, I just had this in the list of article links and haven't got the time or inclination to check...
A mildly magnificent "fuck you": To My Old Master. MILDLY. MAGNIFICENT.
A Country Where The Poor Drown
As Floods Worsen, It's Time To Rethink How Queenslanders Build For The Future
--
The Strong Towns approach: about building towns that work - I think this is the one about towns that actually will pay for themselves rather than the ones that require cheap petrol/diesel, and which will fall apart as councils/counties run out of money to fund them.
Abolition of the family: Twin Oaks Communal Parenting
Because We Could Not Stop For Death: I'm pretty sure this one is about COVID
Carl Lentz and the Trouble At Hillsong: relevant since both Houstons (father who founded, and son who took over) have had to resign from the directorship of the church - the father a decade ago, the son very recently.
Something Something American Politics? Sorry, I just had this in the list of article links and haven't got the time or inclination to check...
A mildly magnificent "fuck you": To My Old Master. MILDLY. MAGNIFICENT.
Tags:
Sunshine! Blue sky! Shadows!
A mown lawn!
The neighbour kindly mowed the lawn for us, using up all his lunchtime. He says it's in exchange for catsitting their cats while they're on holidays, but seriously, it's not a big issue. The cats are complete sweeties and almost always amenable to a snuggle. (Well, one of them is.)
Anyway, we'll take them a dozen eggs as a special thank you.
Also: LAWN CLIPPINGS AHOY. Considering just how sodden everything got, the chookens were delicately stepping through mud at the height of the rains. Now we shouldn't get more rain like that (shouldn't) but meteorology has no guarantees.
I did get the coop rinsed off, I was thinking to get it sprayed tomorrow, but am a bit worried about the rain. However, in the meantime I have tried to hunt up rubber gloves for handling the pesticide and discover that one or both of my sisters have made off with all the disposable gloves in the house. *sigh* B1 probably has a set in her car, but she's out right now.
So tomorrow morning de-miting the coop and surrounding areas is going to be it.
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I think I'm going to end up in Team 3 for hockey this year. Just not good enough or noticeable enough (or fit enough) to be in Team 2.
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Trying to import my older LJ in to DW but it keeps failing. I think it's a connection issue.
--
Guardian Australia has some time-lapse footage of the flooding in Queensland.
Also from Guardian Australia: Lynching Postcards: a harrowing documentary about confronting history: I haven't watched/read this article, this is for later looking through.
I'm fairly sure the same kind of thing happened in Australia. Culture and people being what they are.
A mown lawn!
The neighbour kindly mowed the lawn for us, using up all his lunchtime. He says it's in exchange for catsitting their cats while they're on holidays, but seriously, it's not a big issue. The cats are complete sweeties and almost always amenable to a snuggle. (Well, one of them is.)
Anyway, we'll take them a dozen eggs as a special thank you.
Also: LAWN CLIPPINGS AHOY. Considering just how sodden everything got, the chookens were delicately stepping through mud at the height of the rains. Now we shouldn't get more rain like that (shouldn't) but meteorology has no guarantees.
I did get the coop rinsed off, I was thinking to get it sprayed tomorrow, but am a bit worried about the rain. However, in the meantime I have tried to hunt up rubber gloves for handling the pesticide and discover that one or both of my sisters have made off with all the disposable gloves in the house. *sigh* B1 probably has a set in her car, but she's out right now.
So tomorrow morning de-miting the coop and surrounding areas is going to be it.
--
I think I'm going to end up in Team 3 for hockey this year. Just not good enough or noticeable enough (or fit enough) to be in Team 2.
--
Trying to import my older LJ in to DW but it keeps failing. I think it's a connection issue.
--
Guardian Australia has some time-lapse footage of the flooding in Queensland.
Also from Guardian Australia: Lynching Postcards: a harrowing documentary about confronting history: I haven't watched/read this article, this is for later looking through.
I'm fairly sure the same kind of thing happened in Australia. Culture and people being what they are.
It's been Quite A Lot this week.
I have the weekend off, now I have to spend it doing something other than doomscrolling or shouting at clouds (a.k.a. FB and possibly church people).
But some links about what's happening in Australia, and how to move forward.
Aerial pics to show how the floods swept through
we can't cling to the perfect past, we have to wake up and walk through the future imperfect
Overwhelmed? Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend
So tired right now. So very very tired.
I have the weekend off, now I have to spend it doing something other than doomscrolling or shouting at clouds (a.k.a. FB and possibly church people).
But some links about what's happening in Australia, and how to move forward.
Aerial pics to show how the floods swept through
we can't cling to the perfect past, we have to wake up and walk through the future imperfect
Overwhelmed? Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend
So tired right now. So very very tired.
The Ordinary Goodness Of Andre Trocme and Le Chambon
A French village that helped Jewish refugees during WWII because the villagers were anchored in the bible - and the pastor who anchored them so. Sometimes lately it feels so much like many aspects of the church use the bible as a club - in both senses of the term: you're in or you're out depending on how you view it (see the next couple of links), and as something to beat others over the head with.
Because A Twitter Thread This Long Would Be Annoying
Kristen Kobes Du Mez wrote and published a book called Jesus and John Wayne. To say it was taken badly by the Evangelical establishment is an understatement:
Saving Inerrancy From The Americans
Or: how the American evangelicals treat "the inerrancy of scripture": as the centre and sum of theological orthodoxy. If you don't talk about it precisely the right way, then you're obviously not a Christian.
I've been seeing that quite a bit in my own faith traditions, tbh. If you don't have 'the correct' view on The Sexuality Stuff, then obvs you're not really a Christian... And it works on the other foot, too re: refugees and compassion. I mean, some of my fellow Christians are, frankly, awful people. But they're still Christians.
Building Strong Towns
America - indeed, most of the world - has been growing in population and building at a tremendous pace. But the thing missing from the world we're building is the concepts of resilience and sustainability. The 'Strong Towns' movement is advocating for a radically different way of looking at how we develop the world around us with an eye towards longevity. Note: this specific movement appears to be something of a marketing machine, I have no idea how it's going - the original article was written in 2015.
Alan Kohler: Neoliberalism is at the heart of the Omicron shambles
Basically, the pursuit of moar money is what had most of Australia in the grip of an omicron wave over the summer.
Back To Normal Isn't Enough
Or: when the world didn't work for most before, why are we trying to go back to it? US-based.
If we are to ‘live with’ COVID-19, we must decide what we really value
Another contemplation on the pressures and values of society in the face of COVID-19. I think this one is UK-based.
How To Be A Good Indigenous Ally
The Psychology Behind Why We Hatefollow People
I didn't even know this was a thing.
( sidenote )
The Case For Being 'Ordinary'
'Extraordinary' is overrated. Here's how to embrace the power of an ordinary life.
The impact of inheritance
I know, not everyone has an inheritance coming to them, but still, this is about the transfer of money and security.
The Gospel, Religious Freedom, and Human Rights
A better way for 'religious freedom' to go: hand in hand with all the other human rights, including sexuality, gender, race, the freedom to seek asylum, and possibly even the right to a clean environment. I particularly like that it's addressing that sometimes these rights will abut up against each other and require negotiation, and sometimes no agreement can be reached. But in order for any discussion of rights to be taken in good faith, we need to stop looking at it as a zero-sum game/
Life In A Degrowth Economy
Or: there are a lot of economidiots out there who have forgotten that the resources of the world have limits.
How To Want Less
Going against evolutionary biology, because evolutionary biology doesn't give a damn about your emotions.
A French village that helped Jewish refugees during WWII because the villagers were anchored in the bible - and the pastor who anchored them so. Sometimes lately it feels so much like many aspects of the church use the bible as a club - in both senses of the term: you're in or you're out depending on how you view it (see the next couple of links), and as something to beat others over the head with.
Because A Twitter Thread This Long Would Be Annoying
Kristen Kobes Du Mez wrote and published a book called Jesus and John Wayne. To say it was taken badly by the Evangelical establishment is an understatement:
My book tells the story about how Christian patriarchy, white Chr nationalism, & Am militarism became so closely intertwined that now, for many Am Christians, to critique one aspect is perceived as an attack on Christianity itself.
Saving Inerrancy From The Americans
Or: how the American evangelicals treat "the inerrancy of scripture": as the centre and sum of theological orthodoxy. If you don't talk about it precisely the right way, then you're obviously not a Christian.
I've been seeing that quite a bit in my own faith traditions, tbh. If you don't have 'the correct' view on The Sexuality Stuff, then obvs you're not really a Christian... And it works on the other foot, too re: refugees and compassion. I mean, some of my fellow Christians are, frankly, awful people. But they're still Christians.
Building Strong Towns
America - indeed, most of the world - has been growing in population and building at a tremendous pace. But the thing missing from the world we're building is the concepts of resilience and sustainability. The 'Strong Towns' movement is advocating for a radically different way of looking at how we develop the world around us with an eye towards longevity. Note: this specific movement appears to be something of a marketing machine, I have no idea how it's going - the original article was written in 2015.
Alan Kohler: Neoliberalism is at the heart of the Omicron shambles
Basically, the pursuit of moar money is what had most of Australia in the grip of an omicron wave over the summer.
Back To Normal Isn't Enough
Or: when the world didn't work for most before, why are we trying to go back to it? US-based.
If we are to ‘live with’ COVID-19, we must decide what we really value
Another contemplation on the pressures and values of society in the face of COVID-19. I think this one is UK-based.
How To Be A Good Indigenous Ally
The Psychology Behind Why We Hatefollow People
I didn't even know this was a thing.
( sidenote )
The Case For Being 'Ordinary'
'Extraordinary' is overrated. Here's how to embrace the power of an ordinary life.
The impact of inheritance
I know, not everyone has an inheritance coming to them, but still, this is about the transfer of money and security.
Ultimately, inheritance — money of any kind, really — is most vital in its role as a solid foundation. Everyone deserves that. We’d be better off if America wanted it for Americans as much as some Americans want it for their own kids.
The Gospel, Religious Freedom, and Human Rights
A better way for 'religious freedom' to go: hand in hand with all the other human rights, including sexuality, gender, race, the freedom to seek asylum, and possibly even the right to a clean environment. I particularly like that it's addressing that sometimes these rights will abut up against each other and require negotiation, and sometimes no agreement can be reached. But in order for any discussion of rights to be taken in good faith, we need to stop looking at it as a zero-sum game/
Life In A Degrowth Economy
Or: there are a lot of economidiots out there who have forgotten that the resources of the world have limits.
How To Want Less
Going against evolutionary biology, because evolutionary biology doesn't give a damn about your emotions.
Tags:
Well, the links themselves may not be epic, but there's a lof of them!
( Variety of topics, variety of sources. )
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My work connection went down around lunchtime and they said it might not be fixed for a bit. I just took the afternoon off. Not that I've spent it 'productively'... But then, we don't have to be productive all the time, do we?
( Variety of topics, variety of sources. )
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My work connection went down around lunchtime and they said it might not be fixed for a bit. I just took the afternoon off. Not that I've spent it 'productively'... But then, we don't have to be productive all the time, do we?
Tags:
Permaculture and the Far Right: a look into the sekrit handshake between the hippies and the neo-nazis.
Racism and Patriarchy: two strands of the same Authoritarian Theology
Assorted Thoughts on Fast Media and Demystification byhonigfrosch. A really good read. Kind of about genre, but also about meta-genre, 2020s fandom, and the push of fast media.
TRASHING: The Dark Side of Sisterhood The article is forty-five years old, and yet we still see these behaviours.
Racism and Patriarchy: two strands of the same Authoritarian Theology
Assorted Thoughts on Fast Media and Demystification by
honigfrosch. A really good read. Kind of about genre, but also about meta-genre, 2020s fandom, and the push of fast media.TRASHING: The Dark Side of Sisterhood The article is forty-five years old, and yet we still see these behaviours.
Tags:
Tags:
All the muscle aches this morning. ALL OF THEM. I didn't even do anything on the weekend.
why 'no jab, no entry' is not discrimination
The global tally that reveals the real test for Scott Morrison on vaccines
Blue marriage and the terror of divorce
why 'no jab, no entry' is not discrimination
The global tally that reveals the real test for Scott Morrison on vaccines
Blue marriage and the terror of divorce
Tags:
I honestly can't tell if I'm coming or going.
Note to self: IT IS NOT FRIDAY.
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A number of links, mostly faith-related.
Lessons from the Rise And Fall Of Mars Hill Church
The Mars Hill Podcast puts blame anywhere except where it belongs
The Unmaking Of Biblical Womanhood
Should Christians Be Opposed To Vaccination? (Answer: no.)
The Unlikely Rebound Of Mainline Protestantism: I found this interesting in that Australian Evangelicals seem to be a blend of American Mainline Protestants and Evangelicals.
Note to self: IT IS NOT FRIDAY.
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A number of links, mostly faith-related.
Lessons from the Rise And Fall Of Mars Hill Church
The Mars Hill Podcast puts blame anywhere except where it belongs
Evangelical identity politics and its imbrication with white supremacy, heteropatriachy, and neoliberalism are intersecting problems in a story that attempts to figure out who killed Mars Hill. The better question is: how do known abusive leaders such as Driscoll get a free pass to continue preaching in the pulpit and through online ministry? Charismatic spiritual fathers who sacrifice the vulnerable, while theologically justifying it as biblical, go about their business. This gaslighting at the scale of population isn’t simply harmful to individuals, it’s a systemic problem for an insatiable evangelical industrial complex that makes new idols out of old and replicates divisive us-versus-them ideologies within and outside of churches. Asking the flagship publication of the evangelical industrial complex to examine itself may yield a slick new product, but it just replicates the same old problems.
The Unmaking Of Biblical Womanhood
Should Christians Be Opposed To Vaccination? (Answer: no.)
The Unlikely Rebound Of Mainline Protestantism: I found this interesting in that Australian Evangelicals seem to be a blend of American Mainline Protestants and Evangelicals.