As with most issues in the United States, Black Americans and female Americans are the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. On April 6, Louisiana was the first state to release data on Covid-19 broken down by race. Its report showed that while African American’s make up 33% of the state’s population, they accounted for 70% of those dead from the virus at the time. Other cities and states soon followed suit with their own reports as the federal government remained silent on the issue. These reports showed, one after another, that areas with large populations of Black people have been ravaged with disproportionately high numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths. Wisconsin reported that while Black people make up 7% of the state’s population, they made up 33% of the state’s deaths. In Michigan, the numbers are 14% of the population versus 40% of the deaths. In New York, Black people are twice as likely to die from the virus as white people. The pandemic has further exposed the stark racial divide in health in our nation. Black American communities face extreme situations of environmental racism which leads to underlying health issues like which make these communities more vulnerable to […]

Arkansas’s only in-clinic abortion provider, Little Rock Family Planning Services, is suing the state to challenge a rule requiring patients to get a COVID-19 test within 48 hours of their abortion procedure. This is the second time Arkansas abortion providers have had to fight a legal battle to protect abortion access during the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), representing Little Rock Family Planning Services, argues that the Department of Health rule severely restricts abortion access, especially for patients who are close to Arkansas’s 20-week gestational limit. Little Rock Family Planning Services reports that it has been unable to find any COVID-19 testing location that will test asymptomatic people and provide results within 48 hours. “For women who cannot obtain access to COVID-19 NAAT testing within 48-hours of their procedures, the Directive entirely bars them from exercising their constitutional right to receive pre-viability abortion care in Arkansas,” wrote the ACLU in the lawsuit. Last month, Arkansas tried to halt all but “immediately medically necessary” abortions during the coronavirus pandemic. The ACLU challenged that order, and a federal judge issued a restraining order to allow abortion care to continue as normal. A week later, the Eighth Circuit Court of […]

Amidst great economic and political pressure to reopen in the fall, American colleges and universities must choose between enormous risk and liability if they do open and bankruptcy if they do not. Colleges and universities are among the most vulnerable institutions to disease outbreaks and would serve as efficient grounds the spread of coronavirus as students on campus share close spaces. Students are in close contact in classes, dining halls, clubs, sports, dorms, parties, events, games, assemblies, and meetings. Students could bring the virus to campus upon arrival and bring it home during breaks and holidays. Schools are worried about lawsuits in the case of outbreaks on campus, adding to the risk of reopening in the fall. If schools choose not to reopen this fall, they could lose half of their revenue and ultimately not recover, either filing for bankruptcy or closing permanently. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are being hit the hardest by the financial burden of the pandemic and because African Americans are bearing a disproportionate share of the pandemic, school populations of HBCUs are more likely to be impacted by Covid-19. In response to political pressure from the GOP to reopen in the fall, schools are […]

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will consider yet another case regarding whether employers can decline to cover contraceptives in their health care plans. Reproductive rights groups warn that depending on the outcome of the case, tens of thousands of American women could lose vital contraceptive coverage. The case, Little Sisters of the Poor and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania, involves a 2017 Trump administration rule change that significantly broadened who can claim an exemption to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) contraceptive coverage mandate. The 2017 rule change, issued without a notice of proposed rulemaking or public comment opportunity, expanded the scope of religious exemptions and added an additional moral exemption claim. States had successfully challenged the rule, calling it a violation of the constitution, federal anti-discrimination law, and the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). A federal appeals court issued an injunction, preventing the Trump administration from enforcing the rule until the case was decided. Both the district court and the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed that states were likely to succeed on their APA claim. The court will now consider whether the Little Sisters of the Poor have standing and whether the Trump administration lawfully exempted religious objectors from the […]

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has issued the final version of a new rule governing how schools must handle allegations of sexual assault and harassment under Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education. The new 2,033-page regulation increases privileges for students and faculty accused of assault and requires colleges to conduct live hearings to adjudicate allegations, a drastic change from the more survivor-friendly Obama-era policies. “This new regulation requires schools to act in meaningful ways to support survivors of sexual misconduct, without sacrificing important safeguards to ensure a fair and transparent process,” said DeVos in a statement. But women’s rights and survivor advocacy groups have condemned the rule changes since they were first proposed in 2018. They argue that the new rule unfairly favors those accused of assault, reduces schools’ responsibility for addressing harassment, and discourages survivors from coming forward. The regulation gives college students accused of assault the right to have representatives cross-examine their accusers in a live hearing, which advocacy organizations say will discourage survivors from coming forward. The regulation also reduces colleges’ responsibility to investigate allegations, only requiring investigations for complaints made to certain designated employees such as Title IX Coordinators, through a formal process. […]

I love them both about as much as they love each other. We were extraordinarily lucky with this generation of cat friends. https://ift.tt/3alml4y

Oswin enjoying her first supervised enrichment activity. It ended when the nearby construction made a loud upsetting bang. #cat https://ift.tt/2TSjmef

Oswin is starting to enjoy her backyard walks. #cat https://ift.tt/2uRzodQ

Advice for those who are trying to get published or who want a longterm career in the publishing industry: you need to develop a thick hide when it comes to criticism. 

No matter what stage you are in your career, if you are putting yourself and your work out there for people to see (whether it's agents or editors or art directors or reviewers or other readers), you WILL get criticism. It might be criticism in the form of critiques from a trusted group of writer or illustrator friends. It might be a form rejection letter or detailed rejection letter. Even after you get a contract, you will be getting feedback and change requests from your editor or art director. After your book comes out, some people will not like your book -- and some of those people may be reviewers.

If you are sensitive to harsh judgement, you need to find a way to cope with this early on if you want to stay in the game. Just don't do it in public!

For critiques of your work, never make changes right away. This is especially important for those who are insecure about their own skills! Let the feedback sit for at least a day or two (longer if you can wait), THEN come back to it with more objectivity. Do you agree with the feedback? Don't blindly make a change to your manuscript if you don't agree or understand why.

And never, ever respond to negative reviews in public.

Some useful resources:

Gail Carson Levine has great advice about how to take criticism, particularly from a critique.

11 Writers On How They Deal With Criticism - by Jason Diamond.

6 Top Tips For Dealing With Criticism Of Your Writing - from WritersEdit. This piece advises AGAINST reading all (if any) of your reviews in Goodreads and other places geared toward readers; I've heard this piece of advice from a prominent author in her workshop as well.

Deal With Criticism Like A Pro - by Bryan Collins on WritetoDone. This advice is mainly geared toward negative feedback from an editor; Bryan is a nonfiction freelance writer.

I am so glad someone is doing this zine! I have been trying to find time to try and put together this exact thing!
Please submit!!!
It's Down to This

For info and submissions contact: responsezine@gmail.com

“It’s Down to This” is a new zine compilation that aims to give space to step back, take a deep breath and reflect on where we’re at.

Reflecting on our experiences with community accountability processes, survivor support, or general efforts to cultivate community response to sexual violence- this is a space to talk about our experiences with this work, what we have learned, where we want to go from here, what we feel, what we want others to be able to hear, see, think about, engage with.

It is an attempt to further give voice to our efforts and experiences in doing this work, to give space and voice to silence. To know and hear how we have survived in this work, how we have sustained this work, or why we burned out. To further document our attempts at figuring out what community accountability looks like, or what it even is. To be able to reflect and grow from our mistakes and epiphanies.

SEEKING: stories, essays, interviews, comics, artwork and thoughts reflecting on working around accountability and community response to sexual violence:

What has it looked like? What has it entailed? What could it look like? Who does it involve? In what ways? How is a community responsible? How is a community involved? What can an accountability process look like? What has it looked like? What works? What doesn’t? What were the fuck-ups, the successes?

*These questions are asked with the assumption that confidentiality will be respected and that stories will not be shared if they are not yours to share.

*The word ‘community’ is used with the awareness that it is often used problematically.

Looking for submissions that:

- explore the importance of accountability and support work as an act of community building and collective liberation, that express the importance of this work within social justice movements.

-reflect on the support, empowerment, recovery and growth that have come out of this work

-reflect on the pain, trauma and frustration of this work or which is inherent in this work.

-develop ideas and methods of sustainability around this work

-look at the social and political contexts in which community accountability and response to sexual violence and partner abuse grows and exists.

-share our stories

Anonymity and confidentiality will be respected.

DEADLINE: October 22nd, 2010

For info and submissions contact: responsezine@gmail.com

Feel free to send in ideas/proposals and ask for feedback!

I'll be teaching a workshop Nov. 13 at the Queer Influx conference in Columbus!
Check it out at http://queerinflux.wordpress.com/convergence-schedule/

A number of people recently have talked to me about feeling like my (and previous) generation hasn’t passed down the lessons we’ve learned from our own experience and activism. Here are few books that are full of great essays.

That’s Revolting! : Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation, edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore

I’m reading this right now and it is so excellent! A really wide range of essays. Stories from the 60’s to today, all of them really relevant. This should be on everyone’s reading list. It’s a great introduction to radical queer politics, and a great reinvigorator for those of us who have gotten comfortable in our own lives and taken a break from dealing with the world. There’s so many great essays in here, it’s hard to pick out a few to highlight, but I did really appreciate the two on Gay Marriage, one by Carol Queen. “Certainly, oppression in any context is wrong. Naturally, queer folk are irritated when straight people get benefits denied to same-sex partners … pissed off queers making a point can cause the culture to shift.” She argues that instead of trying to “squeeze our asses onto the park bench of Normalcy” it would better serve the world and ourselves if we celebrated and fought for our wonderful diversity – for more choices rather than fewer.
Another great essay is a conversation between Marlon Bailey, Priya Kandaswamy, and Mattie Udora Richardson called Is Gay Marriage Racist. They discuss all kinds of questions people pose in support of gay marriage (questions I’ve had myself) and provide alternative ways of looking at these questions.
There are so many other topics covered in this book. Rural queer teens, activism from the 60’s and today. Performance Art, Protests, Pipe bombs, Sex, Films, Queer Radio, more and more and more.

Uses of a Whirlwind: Movements and Contemporary Radical Currents in the United States, edited by Team Colors Collective

I’ve heard the Team Colors has a pretty theoretical and hard to understand website, and this book does start out with a pretty inaccessible introduction and first essay, but after that, it is really useful. The essay A Look at Resistance to Interstate 69 by Earth First, discusses lessons learned about positive and problematic roles activists play when they come into a community they are not from to organize and do direct action – lessons I’ve seen activists have to learn over and over, so I’m grateful someone has written about it! Another essay I really liked was Harvesting Solidarity: Farmworkers, Allies and the Fight for Fair Food, which talks about a successful campaign for Florida tomato workers against Burger King and Taco Bell. It discusses tactics and how the coalition between farmworkers and students worked.
There’s an essay about queer activism (an autobiographical essay about why the Human Rights Campaign sucks and why pushing for hate crime legislation is not the answer), and an essay about current art activism. There’s a section on theoretical analysis. This book is a little disjointed and has more theory than I generally am drawn to, there are some essays that seemed like they were written for an audience that doesn't know much of anything about alternative culture, but I would hate to see it lost to the theory heads, because there is a lot of great info in here that I think would be particularly useful to younger or new activists. Also important for seasoned activists to get us thinking of how to think about and articulate our experiences and what can be learned from them.

From Act Up to the WTO
I must have leant this out, because I can’t find it. I’ve leant it out so much and everyone loves it. It is a history of Queer activism from mainly the 80’s and 90’s. So much of our history, even our current history, gets disappeared, and this book helps

I have finally seen The Black Hole for the first time in probably 25 years. No, make that 35 years. I don’t know, it’s been awhile, which is kind of weird for such an iconic, formative movie. Don’t laugh, you know it’s true — there’s a whole generation of us who saw this while we […]

October 5th, 2019
Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, Texas
Cure are scheduled to play from 8 - 10 pm central.

Setlist: Plainsong, Pictures of You, A Night Like This, Just One Kiss, Lovesong, Last Dance, Burn, Fascination Street, Never Enough, Push, In Between Days, Just Like Heaven, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, Play For Today, A Forest, Shake Dog Shake, Disintegration

Encore: Lullaby, The Caterpillar, The Walk, Friday I'm in Love, Close to Me, Why Can't I Be You?, Boys Don't Cry.

Tweets by CraigatCoF 

Please obey your watch… Photo courtesy of Joe Pace.

いつも応援ありがとうございます。

いよいよ3月4日5日に10周年を飾る最後のＬＩＶＥ！10th Anniversary LIVE"GIG"2017-THE FINAL-が開催されます。
このライブは加藤和樹作詞・加藤和樹作詞作曲のみで構成された10周年集大成の2日間です。

両日ともチケット完売になっているため急遽、3月5日にはニコニコ動画にて初のＬＩＶＥ生配信をいたします。

まだ加藤和樹のＬＩＶＥを見たことがない方、今回のライブに残念ながら来れなかった方、観てコメントして楽しんでください。

【ニコニコ動画生配信】

3月5日16時より配信開始

http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv290796700

さらに加藤和樹がＭＣをつとめる「ＫＫチャンネル」ではチャンネル会員向けにLIVE本編中「KAZUKIだけカメラ」が発動！

LIVE中、ずっと加藤和樹さんだけを追い続けるカメラを視聴いただくことができます。PCの方は、2窓（2つプラウザを開いて）でお楽しみください。

【ニコ動ＫＫチャンネル・KAZUKIだけカメラ】

http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv291062812

お楽しみください！

◇■◇■ＴＨＥ　ＦＩＮＡＬのＱ＆Ａ情報◇■◇■

Q:物販はいつから始まりますか？
A:物販の時間は下記になります。

＜物販開始時間＞
◇3月4日（土）14：30～16：30
◇3月5日（日）13：30～15：30

※公演当日分在庫商品が無くなり次第物販は終了いたします。

※ＦＣに入会されると次回からのライブグッズは会員先行にてライブ当日までに自宅配送され、ライブ当日に並ばず欲しい商品が必ず手に入る特典がございますのでご利用ください。

Q.販売される商品は
A.グッズは下記になります。

＜ＴＨＥ　ＦＩＮＡＬグッズ＞
◇Tシャツ（カラー：黒×水色（蓄光つき）/サイズ：S.M.L)　3200円

※蓄光がついたＴシャツ。暗闇で光ります

◇Tシャツ（カラー：ネイビー×ピンク/サイズ：S.M.L)　3200円

◇タオルマフラー　2100円（ジャガード織・今治産）

◇ステンレスボトル　2300円

冷たい飲み物も温かい飲み物も持ち歩けるボトル（容量280ml)

＜Team Kグッズ＞
◇折りたたみ傘　3500円

ついに登場！待望の傘は晴雨兼用・傘袋は濡れたままバックインできる仕様です。

◇シューズから着替えまで入れられるマルチケース　男性用　1300円　女性用　1200円

旅先や学校行事などではシューズケースとして、さらにはたっぷりマチ付なので着替えなどの整理ケースとしても使える便利グッズ。

◇日めくりカレンダー「ＥＶＥＲＹＤＡＹ　ＫＡＺＵＫＩ」　2100円

加藤和樹歌詞を日めくりで楽しむカレンダー

＜旧商品＞

◇ブランケット（夏のクーラーのひざ掛けに！）　2000円
◇ライブバック（ライブから普段の買い物まで使えます！カラー：黒/赤）　3500円

＜その他＞
◇周年ライブ限定「ＫＡＺＵ★ＫＵＪＩ」　1口　400円　※1回５口まで引くことができます。
※この1年の分も追加し、約540種のPHOTO＋チェキなどがランダムに引け、同じ絵柄はなかなか出てこない“ＫＡＺＵ★ＫＵＪＩ”。
中には加藤和樹＆THE DRASTICS直筆サインパネル、
ライブ終演後本人との面会出来ちゃう券などのレア景品も入っています！

◇チャリティーステッカー
「Pray for KUMAMOTO」と書かれたステッカーを募金していただいた方にはお配りしています。

Q:ライブ時間はどのくらいですか？
A:ライブの時間は140分前後になります。

Q:注意事項はありますか？
A:
・光るもの、鳴り物は禁止しております。また、録音録画も禁止です。
・荷物の多い方は、予めコインロッカーなどにお預けください。
・前の人を押し出しする行為をしないようお願いいたします。

Q:物販は開場中、終演後でも購入できますか？
A:基本、購入できるようにしておりますが、数量が無くなり次第終了いたします。

Q:チケットAの引換はどこになりますか？
A:【ＶＯＩＣＥ受付】にて引換をいたします。入場前に必ず受け取ってから入場列に並んでください。

Q:当日券はありますか？
A:当日券の発売はございません。

Q:お花などを送りたいのですが。。。
A:今回はお花は会場の都合上お断りいたしております。

Q:プレゼントを渡したいのですが。。。
A:会場ロビーにプレゼント箱を用意しております。但し、本人に渡すまでに日数がかかりますので食べ物系などはお断りさせていただきます。　

2日間に渡る10周年finalのday2終わりました！

遅くなりました。

Leaky sauce bottle now leaks a soft warm glow. I used the ÖRTFYLLD as a soy sauce and vinegar bottle, but the one for soy sauce was leaking and rusting in the lid and bottle holder. That’s when I starting wondering … I had a lot of ideas on what I could do with the […]

The post A small accent lamp from a most unlikely IKEA item appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

My face masks never quite worked with my ears. Prior attempts were not snug or comfortable on my face. And I had limited elastic narrow enough. So the clips came in handy for a fitting face mask. The elastic and face mask clips can be removed when washing the mask. CDC recommendations on cloth face […]

The post Clips to secure face mask comfortably and quickly appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

When we renovated  our bedroom last year we built in lots of PAX storage. We built a large wardrobe with grey gloss sliding doors. Photo: IKEA.com We then used the 35cm deep frames to create open storage opposite the end of the bed. IKEA items: White PAX Frame White KOMPLEMENT Drawers This provides open shelving […]

The post Q: How to reduce KOMPLEMENT Drawer Spacing? appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

It took me almost a year to figure it out. I sent a help request in 2019 but here is my attempt at a renter-friendly room divider.  You can get this up by only drilling 4 holes, 2 in the wall and 2 on the ceiling easy to fill up with putty when you are […]

The post How to hack a renter-friendly room divider appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

So I want to copy this behind the sofa storage unit, similar to this image: Source: Yellow Brick Home I had the thought of using the VADHOLMA open storage (20 x 80cm) on both ends, some L brackets and a pre-cut slab of wood. VADHOLMA open storage | IKEA.com I am a total DIY novice […]

The post Q: How to hack a behind the sofa storage? appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Give your “home office” a virtual makeover with these free zoom backgrounds from IKEA. Just a few months ago, few of us imagined having a home office, let alone working from home full-time. But here we are. We’ve all probably sat in way too many zoom meetings … always tidying up before the call. Quickly, […]

The post IKEA free backgrounds for more stylish zoom calls appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

The 2019 Farmers' Almanac is available for pre-order! (Ships August 13th)

♐ Sagittarius - Archer (Thighs)

Start each day of your outdoor adventure with a piping hot cup of coffee or tea in one of our Farmers' Almanac Campfire Mugs. Each mug is 14 ounces, made out of lightweight but sturdy steel, and can be used to sip your favorite drink, or eat baked beans by the fire.

The Windows 10 Mail program supports multiple email accounts, so I'll show you how to add one.

Add an Account to the Microsoft Mail Program from Ask Leo!.
Get the newsletter: https://newsletter.askleo.com

Visit Handy-Chris.biz for all your perverted panic room needs, plus a very reasonable rate on alcove shelving.

“Squinting bishop” sounds like a sort of cheese, but that’s Stinking Bishop, right? Which is also the name of a kind of pear.

There is a Cornish cheese called Yarg that is wrapped in nettle leaves. “Yarg” tended to be the sound a minor character made when being obliterated in the Transformers comics of my childhood.

Mrs Clovis certainly hands out a series of sick burns in today’s page. These burns need to get to hospital, they’re powerfully unwell. Poor Maggie!

Today we remember Ringo Starr’s deeply non-U hit, “You’re Sixteen”. Appalling then, actionable now. Here’s the video.

This week I have been back on my track bike, for the fist time since my crash in October last year. Now in recent months I have been cycle commuting on my road bike, but somehow it is different and slightly scary to be back on a track bike. Scary but good. It also looks … Continue reading [push] Getting back on the bike.. →

Finished my first book of the year on new year’s day is a bit of an achievement, but I did start it a month or so ago. The book focuses on his last year as a professional cyclists and insights into life in the peloton. Not quite as satisfying read as the Fall and Rise … Continue reading Book #1 – David Miller – The Racer →

Posted by: beatrice_otter

Fandom: Star Wars
Characters/Pairings: Mace Windu/Cody, Anakin Skywalker, Shaak Ti, lots of Jedi and clones
Rating: Mature
Length: 202,217 words

Summary: Plo has an idea. Mace agrees, and everything snowballs right into hell from there.

(Or: Mace and Cody get married in order to give the clones citizen status. Before they can focus on that, though, they're going to have to deal with ancient Sith artifacts, evil prophets, plots to overthrow the Supreme Chancellor, lost planets, monsters warped by Sith alchemy, inconvenient feelings, and Darth Sidious turning his eye on a potential new apprentice. Just...not in that order.)

Why is it the BEST THING EVER: Besides having a really unique idea for a fixit, I love the way the characters are written, and the development of Mace and Cody's relationship is wonderful, and the action is engaging and well-written.

Fanwork Links: hunting toward heartstill

comments

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Princeton is evaluating scenarios for campus operations next academic year. While no decisions have been made yet, the Academic Year 2021 Coordinating Committee is preparing for a number of options based on federal and state health guidelines.

Princeton faculty members Rubén Gallo, M. Zahid Hasan, Amaney Jamal, Ruby Lee, Margaret Martonosi, Tom Muir, Eve Ostriker, Alexander Smits, Leeat Yariv, James Stone and Muhammad Qasim Zaman have been named members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Visiting faculty member Alondra Nelson also was elected to the academy.

Nicholas Johnson named valedictorian and Grace Sommers salutatorian for Princeton's Class of 2020.

Princeton historian Rhae Lynn Barnes reflects on teaching and service during the coronavirus outbreak and the history website she launched for educators.

Princeton professors Anne Case, Jennifer Rexford, Suzanne Staggs and Elke Weber have been named members of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Seven graduate students have received the Graduate School's annual teaching awards for exceptional performance as teachers.

Princeton will decide in early July whether the undergraduate teaching program will be online or residential in the fall term. The University is exploring ways to safely and responsibly reopen Princeton’s laboratories, libraries and other facilities when state law permits. 

Alan Blinder, the Gordon S. Rentschler Memorial Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, is the latest guest on the "We Roar" podcast.

Surgical resident Glenn Wakam shares his view of the health disparities exposed and amplified by the pandemic, from his perspective on the front lines in a Detroit-area hospital.

Have you ever said 'yes', when you wanted to say 'no'? You're not alone. A lot of people do this, and often the situation is different every time. For example: It's a hot afternoon and your skinny best friend implores you to go to the ice-cream bar, because she doesn't have anyone else to go […]

I attended two meetings  in Debert, Nova Scotia, on May 5th and 6th, 2013,  for the discussion and appeals of the fracking waste-water they want to dump through the treatment plant in Debert, Nova Scotia The waste-water would contain naturally occurring radioactive materials, carcinogens, other toxins and elevated levels of Chloride. But the representative from […]

Using the John Doar Papers at Princeton, Kevin Kruse uncovers new insights into the civil rights movement.

Historian Marina Rustow has immersed herself in a unique cache of documents known as the Cairo Geniza, which were hidden for centuries in an Egyptian synagogue.