lunadelcorvo | Network

There is a company that documents my ITP related absences so my employer can have evidence that they honored the terms of the FMLA law if they fire me.

Yesterday's victory over CYA bureaucracy was finding how to get my absences for the ITP described in such a way that they are approved. I wrote my doctor this morning

I called and spoke to the analyst who said that you should send back in the same paperwork and write in the margins "Certified for absences and appointments as medically necessary since 3 March 2025" followed by the date, your initials, and to sign the paperwork again.

I cussed A LOT after finding this out.

chickenfeet

https://myscena.org/john-gilks/dvd-review-bavarian-state-opera-war-and-peace-jurowski-tcherniakov/

minoanmiss

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

She is annoyed

shadowkat

[Note, I'm home sick or under the weather at the moment, so apologies for typos, etc - due to brain fog.]

As always, Good News is more often than not in the eyes of the beholder. So mileage may vary.

1. 13.14 Million or 4% of the population of the US came out and protested for "No Kings". "We’re honored to announce a final count of 13.14 million in attendance across 2,300+ No Kings protests nationwide. It took a little longer to finalize due to the sheer scale, but the turnout was historic!
So far, 71 MAGA agitators have been arrested, with 62 additional investigations still underway. We’re actively reviewing online threats and working on escalating where needed. If you see something, say something." - per Alt National Parks.

What does this mean: The 3.5% Rule or How a small minority can change the world
( excerpt )

2. 81% of U.S. adults say that if a federal court rules that an action is illegal, then Trump has to follow its ruling, per NBC poll. Among Trump supporters, 50% agree.

3. From limiting who can purchase most semiautomatic rifles on the market today to raising the minimum age to buy ammunition, Colorado Democrats in the Colorado legislature were busy this year imposing new gun regulations - specifically in the state of Colorado.

The 12 gun bills passed by the Colorado legislature this year and signed into law

4. Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of committing a sex crime by a jury in New York, more than a year after the state Supreme Court overturned his 2020 conviction on felony sex crime charges. ( Read more... )

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/harvey-weinstein-guilty-retrial-sex-crime-new-york-rcna202460

5.The House approves four nominees to the governing board of the Office of Congressional Conduct, providing the board with enough members to operate and continue its role of investigating and uncovering misconduct by Congress members.

https://campaignlegal.org/update/win-ethics-clc-partners-succeed-preserving-office-congressional-conduct

6.Library of Congress employees uphold the Constitution’s separation of powers by not admitting two DOJ officials appointed by the president to lead the agency who have not been confirmed by the Senate.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/12/politics/library-of-congress-trump-justice-blanche?bt_ee=2QgjkqKxaHyuagkHOeb0m6RbI2h%2FZ9394%2B4e4zEovFoF9q%2BF2LTnhSUP%2BuXHEzeX&bt_ts=1747140898649

7.A federal court orders the administration to promptly facilitate contact between Widmer Josneyder Agelviz Sanguino and his lawyers after immigration enforcement illegally deported Sanguino to a notoriously abusive prison in El Salvador.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/venezuelan-man-admitted-us-refugee-sent-salvadoran-prison-rcna207642

8.Six weeks after being seized off the streets and detained under a false claim by DHS, doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk is released from ICE detention to resume her studies and live in the community while attorneys seek reinstatement of her visa.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/09/us/rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-bail-release

9. Attorneys general from 20 states file two lawsuits against the administration over its threats to illegally withhold billions of congressionally allocated funds from states if they don’t meet federal immigration enforcement demands.

https://thehill.com/homenews/5298257-20-states-sue-trump-administration-grants-immigration-enforcement/

10. Colorado becomes the ninth state to pass a state-level Voting Rights Act into law.

https://coloradonewsline.com/2025/05/12/polis-signs-voting-rights-act-colorado/

11.Florida: A bill that would have required proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote fails to advance in the legislature.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/05/08/the-failed-florida-election-bill-that-angered-voting-rights-and-voting-integrity-advocates-alike/

( the rest )

Okay, I found 98 items. And I'm tired.

[I feel at times that reading through the news is akin to watching a television serial with a really annoying villain, and I keep thinking, come on writers, kill it already. But alas no, they kill off the characters I like instead. I want new writers. That said, it's not all doom and gloom, there's spots of good news in there - actually more good than bad if you know where to look - and depending on your perspective. I've been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer - and it's not only weirdly comforting for a horror series, but also made me a bit hopeful and optimistic.]

Good night and Good Luck all.

I'd cough you to sleep, but I think that would be a tad discomforting? So here's a photo of a flower instead:

house_wren

I made a mistake and read news about the world.

In the background you hear fixing to die rag

kevin_standlee

We're getting into a part of the year where it's particularly difficult for me to get enough sleep. Even with pieces of insulation in the west-facing windows of the bedroom, it's hard to get it dark. I generally try to get to bed by 8 PM or earlier because I need eight hours of sleep most of the time these days, and it doesn't get dark until considerably later. It makes me wish we were on year-around standard time.

She is sleepy
Current Location: Fernley, Nevada

yourlibrarian posting in

dw_community_promo

Do you make crafts? Do you like to look at crafts? Would you like to get (or give) advice about crafts? All crafts are welcome. Share photos, stories about projects in progress, and connect with other crafty folks.

You are welcome to make your own posts, and this community will also do a monthly call for people to share what they are working on, or what they've seen which may be inspiring them. Images of projects old or new, completed or in progress are welcome, as are questions, tutorials and advice.

If you have any questions, ask them here!

jesse_the_k posting in

common_nature

I’m staying near a northern Wisconsin lake at 45.658965, -89.497625, where I’ll be revelling in 15:45 hours of daylight on the summer solstice. The logged-over forest is mostly red pine, and wow they’re pollinating—creating very abstract art near the dock

Pine pollen forms semi-opaque circles over shallow sandy beach described in entry

( two more pics )

disneydream06

Anne Burrell, Food Network Star and Worst Cooks in America Host, Dies at 55

"Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal," Burrell's family said in a statement

By Dave Quinn and Emily Rella

https://people.com/anne-burrell-food-network-star-dies-at-55-11756639?hid=7f1109a25d2362f31854399df255b82ba78f015e&did=18183730-20250617&utm_campaign=ppl_relationship-builder&utm_source=ppl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=061725&lctg=7f1109a25d2362f31854399df255b82ba78f015e&lr_input=758ad690760192cf49795c3f52223721cac5324e3e862e41c5d4db73a4d43f32&utm_term=breaking-news

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

DEAR HARRIETTE: Over Memorial Day weekend, I hosted a small get-together at my home with my extended family. My cousin brought her 1-year-old son, who's just starting to walk and explore the world around him. He's a sweet little boy and was especially fascinated by my dog. The problem is that my dog has never been great around small children. He's anxious by nature and tends to get overstimulated easily. I usually keep him away from kids for that reason, but in the chaos of the day, I let my guard down.

At one point, before anyone could intervene, the baby startled my dog, and my dog reacted by biting him. It wasn't just a nip, either. It was a hard bite, and it left a mark. Thankfully, the injury wasn't severe, but it was enough to cause a lot of distress, especially for my cousin and her husband. My cousin was understandably upset, and while she tried to be civil about it, I could tell she was angry and hurt.

I feel so much guilt about the bite, but I'm also worried about what this means for our relationship moving forward and for my dog. I don't know how to make things right. Should I have done more to prevent the situation? How do I approach my cousin now and express how sorry I am without making things worse? -- Dog Bite

( Read more... )

susandennis

Volleyball was really good this morning. We had a good crowd of fun players and lots of laughs. Then, home to breakfast and coffee. I was nearly finished with both when Hazel came in with a face that was in total distress. She said John and fallen in the shower and they had just taken him away and could I please take her to the hospital.

Turns out, thankfully, he had not fallen but had come close and nearly lost conciseness. The parametics said it was likely dehydration. She wasn't entirely sure which hospital and her son could not get to her until after 11 (this was 8:30). So we made a plan. We found out the hospital. I grabbed my shit, she grabbed hers, we got her and her walker into the car and off we went.

She was not frantic just worried to bits. I was really glad she had gotten me instead of trying to figure it out on her own, Plus, I had zippity on for this morning so not a problem.

The hospital was the same one that I took Myrna to all those times so at least not a black hole. It's an easy-ish trip until you get close and then it's a nightmare. But we made it And found easy parking and got right in to John who was awake and alert and not frantic. Now they were thinking heart. I stayed until Hazel had talked to their son to find out he was on the way. Then I came home. Now I am in the elbow while my house cleaner does her magic.

Hazel did call a few minutes ago to say that they were keeping John overnight and Keith (son) would get her home. (Whew on not having to go again. I'm over that drive.)

So that's my excitement du jour. I did remember, on my way home, to pop into UPS with my Amazon return. Go Me.

hunningham

I have just bought a flat of cherries (approx 1kg) for a fiver. And they're really nice cherries. My mother is away on a trip until Saturday so I cannot share my triumph with her. It's a shame because there's no one else in my life who would really rejoice in the double-whammy of lots & lots of lovely fruit and a bargain!

I also have a pineapple (going cheap), two galla melons (because himself loves them), a ginormous watermelon (what better in a heatwave?), rhubarb (probably the last I'll see this year) and half-a-dozen pears (just because).

So much lovely fruit.

cosmolinguist

The meme that goes "what a week/Captain, it's Wednesday"?

I basically said both parts of that myself today, in a meeting with an equally tired and frazzled colleague.

And it was only much later that I realized.

It isn't even Wednesday today. It's only Tuesday.

First thing tomorrow morning I have my PIP assessment. It's for a review from 2024 of a decision made in 2021. So much has happened. Looking over my descriptions from both these documents tonight, I am overwhelmed.

After the assessment, I will rush in to avpresentation for a webinar with a couple of colleagues (which is actually way more stressful than doing it myself). As long as the DWP's (expensive outsourced) assessors don't keep me waiting an arbitrary amount of time for it as one of their little games, something they are known to do.

pilottttt

Как и обещал, сообщаю текущие новости от Артура Хусаинова с проекта «Сквозь Россию на колёсах (велопутешествие Москва – Владивосток)»

Итак, Артур выехал-таки из Москвы рано утром в субботу 14 июня. На сегодняшний день он на своих двух колёсах сделал уже 914 км, проехав по маршруту Москва → Владимир → Новая Быковка → Кстово → Кугеси → Алексеевское со средней скоростью 25,5 ^км/_ч и словив по пути все дожди, какие только можно было словить. Но это его не остановило. Впереди ещё долгий путь – что-то около девяти тысяч километров по обочинам дорог, так что – пожелаем ему удачи!

День 1

( Смотреть остальные дни )

Current Location: Ташкент, Узбекистан

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

Link to Dear Annie

Dear Annie: My husband and I have two kids under 5, and we both work full-time. As you can imagine, our lives are pretty hectic. My mother-in-law lives about 30 minutes away and expects us to visit her almost every weekend. If we don't, she lays on the guilt pretty thick -- talking about how she "never sees the kids" or implying we don't value family.

The truth is, we're just exhausted. Weekends are the only time we get to catch up on rest, housework or just quality time together as a family without having to entertain. We've tried inviting her to our house instead, but she always declines and insists we come to her.

I know she means well, and we want her to have a relationship with the kids, but I'm starting to dread the constant pressure. How can we set firmer boundaries without starting a bigger family conflict? -- Tired But Trying

( Read more... )

****************

2. Dear Annie: Out of the blue, my daughter told me she bought a house in Connecticut and will be moving there from New Jersey. She insists the two-hour drive isn't far, but I feel hurt and blindsided that she didn't let me know about this until she'd already bought the house and was getting ready to sell her New Jersey home.

Her mother-in-law helped her financially with the move, which is great, but now she'll live just 30 minutes from her in-laws while I'm two hours away. I feel betrayed having been kept in the dark. I'm also 65, live on my own and have a very, very sick dog. I don't know how long the dog will live, but for now, traveling two hours one way just isn't an option.

I'm very hurt by what she did and I'm trying to get past it. She used to live just 30 minutes from me, and now she'll be just as close to her mother-in-law, who helped her buy the house. I've actually had to go on antidepressants because of this. Thankfully, my son and his fiancee live a mile away, so that's a blessing. But I feel like the mother-in-law pulled a fast one as she has her daughter, her daughter's family and now her son and his family so close to her.

Please give me some advice to help me get through this. -- Left Out in New Jersey

( Read more... )

minoanmiss

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

maju

My little cul de sac has been very busy and noisy this morning. Around 7 am several vehicles arrived, including a woodchipper, and several workers started milling around checking out the work to be done. They were here to remove three trees, one in front of my house and two in front of one of the neighbours'. There had been notices pinned to the relevant trees for some weeks saying these trees would be removed within 90 days, but I had no idea when the 90 days started so I had no idea when this was going to happen. Then yesterday evening I found a notice from the town which had been sent to S's email address but not mine, saying this work would be done on 17th June, so I was glad I wasn't going to be taken completely by surprise. Now it's 1:30 pm and they seem to be almost finished. There's a new stump in my yard surrounded by sawdust, and I'm guessing the same at the neighbours' house except a large truck is blocking my view there.

To add to the excitement in this part of the world, when I went out for a walk this morning I found a police car directing traffic about a block from my house, and I could see lights from another police car a block further on, on the main road through town. I walked around that way to find out what was going on and discovered a very large tree had fallen across the main road so all through traffic was being directed through the neighbourhood streets. It was very lucky the tree fell southwards instead of westwards, because falling westwards would have had it land squarely on a house.

We're still having cool weather (I'm still wearing socks and a long sleeved shirt) and it was very foggy while I was out walking this morning. However, the weather forecast says it's going to be hot and humid starting tomorrow. The Washington Post published a helpful chart of how they rate various humidity levels and I see they rate 75% humidity as "extreme". It's very often in the 90s or even 100% humidity here, especially in the mornings, so calling 75% "extreme" seems laughable to me.

yourlibrarian posting in

tv_talk

Laptop-TV combo with DVDs on top and smartphone on the desk

In the past, shows used to create “clip episodes” which were made up of segments of other episodes with a brief wraparound story. This was usually done to save money, extend writing time, or cover for the absence of a lead character.

Is this something you miss? Is there one you've particularly liked? Given currently shorter seasons, are these still being used in any shows you’ve seen?

runpunkrun posting in

fancake

minoanmiss

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

lizzybuffy2008

16. Do you own a travel adapter socket, a travel hair dryer or a portable mini iron?

We have a travel socket. It is a box that when manipulated produces the correct plug. It has US, Britain, and European. We also have single use converter plugs in case we go somewhere the first is not useful.

17. Have you ever had a massage?

Yes, I have had many over the years. My last one was more of a therapeutic one, so not so relaxing.

She is accomplished

oursin

Honestly, people. How is this even A Thing?

NHS staff unsettled by patients filming care and posting videos on social media.

When partner first mentioned this to me I was 'Do they even let them into operating theatre and what about scrubbing up etc?', because I assumed it wasn't actually the patient doing this, and in fact reading further it does seem to be accompanying persons.

Radiographers, who take X-rays and scans, fear the trend could compromise the privacy of other patients being treated nearby and lead to staff having their work discussed online.
The Society of Radiographers (SoR) has gone public with its unease after a spate of incidents in which patients, or someone with them in the hospital, began filming their care.
On one occasion a radiology department assistant from the south coast was inserting a cannula into a patient who had cancer when their 19-year-old daughter began filming.
“She wanted to record the cannulation because she thought it would be entertaining on social media.* But she didn’t ask permission,” the staff member said.
“I spent the weekend afterwards worrying: did I do my job properly? I know I did, but no one’s perfect all the time and this was recorded. I don’t think I slept for the whole weekend.”
They were also concerned that a patient in the next bay was giving consent for a colonoscopy – an invasive diagnostic test – at the same time as the daughter was filming her mother close by. “That could all have been recorded on the film, including names and dates of birth,” they said.
Ashley d’Aquino, a therapeutic radiographer in London, said a colleague had agreed to take photographs for a patient, “but when the patient handed over her phone the member of staff saw that the patient had also been covertly recording her, to publish on her cancer blog.

*Emphasis mine.

First we go back to miasmatic theory, then we go back to operations as spectator sport?

How very different, I would argue, are Barbara Hepworth's 'Hospital Drawings':

Capener began purchasing some of Hepworth’s art, which in turn helped with the costs of her daughter’s surgery. He later asked the artist if she might be interested in observing some of the procedures taking place in the operating theatre. Hepworth, initially horrified by this thought, decided to go. The materials that she needed to make her sculptures were scarce during postwar Britain, meaning she also had more time on her hands to explore other projects.
Hepworth soon became fascinated with the surgical process. She was particularly moved by the methodical rhythm of the surgeon’s hands and the concentration in their eyes. The eyes and hands are rendered with a delicacy and softness, with attentively modulated grey-white tones. They emerge from the cruder, more abstract marks in blue, green and other similar hues. Her drawing techniques somehow brings the scene to life; the many flowing lines are suggestive of the creases forming in the doctors’ blue gowns, created by their constant movement around the horizontal, inert patient. After many visits, Hepworth had created a body of work which revealed her wonderful abilities as a draughtsperson, as well as a sculptor.

minoanmiss posting in

agonyaunt

1. Someone stole my muffin from the office freezer

( Read more... )

She is amused

pauraque posting in

common_nature

off-white beetle with dark markings resembling calligraphy

Getting into my car after a walk, I found this elegantly decorated beetle on my shirt. It has the very appropriate scientific name of Calligrapha philadelphica, also known as the Dogwood Leaf Beetle.

When it opened its wings to fly, I was surprised to see its inner wings were red. I guess that could be the wax seal on the parchment. :)

( photo showing the red wings )

disneydream06

chickenfeet

https://myscena.org/john-gilks/review-a-very-new-york-elegies-at-toronto-opera-festival/

elainegrey

Some gratitude: Carrie seems to be healing quickly with large rims of fresh skin around the sores. She's tolerating her muzzle and is a model for us to wear our masks to minimize the odds of me coming down with COVID.

Reading yesterday gives me the impression that household transmission of COVID is less prevalent than i would have expected, with one article indicating that relatively few people shed large amounts of active virus.

This past weekend i made biscuits. I'm not sure what i did wrong that they didn't really rise up much. I'd made a first draft of a poppy filling (didn't remember to heat the milk before soaking the seeds, didn't read a recipe) and i slopped it over a slab of biscuit dough, rolled it up and then cut the log into poppy twirl buns. It was a lovely indulgent use of the poppy seeds that i collected last year. I picked most of this year's poppies, and the heads seem small compared to a dried poppy head from some years ago. I wonder if it's soil fertility or that the poppy volunteers are self selecting for smaller heads.

I have a large quantity of conventional fertilizer i bought early in our stay here, and i think i am going to use it up this year. Our compost piles just melt away and so we've been putting less than ideal things in them (Weeds, pet poop). I think once the conventional fertilizer is used up i will split our compost and see about getting the worm bins running again. And i need to be better about cover crops: the horrible stilt grass does not count.

Chapter 4, better gardening? I definitely haven't done good vegetable gardening in Chapter 3 (aka the past three years). On the other hand, getting the sochan/cutleaf coneflower established has produced a remarkably easy greens crop.

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

Dear Annie: I've been married to my husband, "David," for nine years. We have two kids, ages 7 and 4. Lately, I've been struggling with how much time he spends on his phone. Every night after dinner, instead of helping with bedtime or talking with me, David disappears into the garage or sits on the couch playing online poker. I've brought it up more than once, but he just says he needs to "unwind."

Last week, our daughter even said, "Daddy, get off your phone!" That broke my heart. I work full-time as a nurse and manage most of the household chores and parenting. I don't mind him relaxing, but I want him to be present for our family -- not just physically, but mentally, too.

How do I approach this without it turning into another argument? -- Feeling Like a Single Parent in Knoxville

( Read more... )

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

DEAR ABBY: I found out that, behind my back, my best friend has been (secretly) growing hair for the past year. He knows I have been balding for many years. Although I have accepted my follicular fate, he knows I constantly search for self-improvement in my life.

What bothers me is that he didn't share the information until I mentioned I was thinking about trying Rogaine. THAT is when he told me he has been using a similar product for the past year and it seems to be working. He even took off his baseball cap (which he has been curiously wearing for a year), to show me the modest results. I doubt he would have shared this if I hadn't raised the subject.

I feel deeply shafted by his secrecy, and I don't see it as such a private matter that it had to be concealed. I do understand that he may have felt embarrassed to admit it bothered him and that he was taking steps to address the issue.

What is the rule of etiquette under the circumstances? Should a person share self-improvement methods that are modestly successful with a close friend who would clearly benefit from the information (assuming it is not so personal or private that it cannot be shared)? -- SHAFTED IN PENNSYLVANIA

( Read more... )

disneydream06

Today I get the pleasure of sending out...

*~*~*~*~*GREAT BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES*~*~*~*~*

To my friend,

thoughtsbykat.

I hope you have a stupendous day. :)

AA Happy Birthday 9

kevin_standlee

Not enough sleep last night, and Kayla had an errand to Reno late this afternoon. (She'll write about it tomorrow.) I hope I get more sleep tonight.

I see that LiveJournal seems to be working again. I'd stopped cross-posting because I was getting nothing but 403 errors.

She is exhausted
Current Location: Fernley, Nevada

minoanmiss

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

lycomingst

So the cats are liable to make a break for it every time I open the front door. They don’t go far but they stay out for hours. Festis will scratch the door to be let in (she’s the level headed one) but Snow has to be corralled. Them being out is bad for them, me and the neighbors.

I’ve come up with a solution. The small laundry room has a door to the hall and a door to the back yard. If I close the hall door, no cats have access to an open door to outside. Then I have to make a big U turn round the back of the house to get to the car. This is inconvenient and I feel bad that cats don’t go out into the world with all those exciting smells.

I bought another cat tower to place in front of an open window. They can look at things but not touch. Until I can afford a catio, they’re inside. As much as I can control it.

Last night the cats were on the bed lying on their sides wrasslin’. Limbs entwined and paws stuck in each other's faces. And then they both fell asleep like that.

cimorene posting in

agonyaunt

Dear Eric: My best friend of more than 35 years is waffling over attending my son's wedding. Her excuses for not coming are an as-yet-unplanned hiking trip in Europe (it would be her fourth in less than two years), and work, which she can easily get out of. This is my only child that will ever get married, and the wedding is in her former hometown where she still has family and friends. It's one easy flight. This friend stays with us three to four times a year for several weeks when she has work in town. My husband and I were allowed to invite four couples. Even my siblings aren't invited!

I'm incredibly hurt that she's even considering not coming. To me this has already caused a shift in my feelings toward her. I haven't spoken to her about it yet but intend to. Are my feelings unreasonable?

– Mother of the Groom Gloom

( Read more... )

cosmolinguist

The way my voice now resonates in my body feels better to me than I ever thought it could.

I was thinking of this this morning because I talked with a fellow trans dude about singing over the weekend; him dealing with changes to his range made me ponder how I've been kinda avoiding trying to find what my singing might be like?

I know voice training and documenting changes, in speaking and singing, is a Thing for a lot of trans people but the notion gave me big anxiety so I've stayed away from it.

Today I am carefully singing along with the radio (in the sense that I am doing it with care, rather than just finding myself doing so while I am working or whatever) and I don't really care how I sound but I love how it feels.

I said this on fedi and was charmed to have one of my dadliest friends (who we call Other Erik because he's another Erik) say

I hope you never lose that joy! For my part, I still love the feeling and I’ve had a mature low “adult” voice for over 30 years. I find myself humming low-range tunes to myself rather frequently just for the feeling of it in my chest.

It's nice to know it can stay fun for that long!

pushkin666

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

She is accomplished
Current Location: on my Chandler/Joey chair
In the background you hear Rewatching Midsomer Murders

lassarina

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

dorktower_feed

Posted by John Kovalic

https://www.dorktower.com/2025/06/16/19544/

https://dorktower.kovalic.com/?p=19544

This or any DORK TOWER strip is now available as a signed, high-quality print, from just $25! CLICK HERE to find out more!

HEY! Want to help keep DORK TOWER going? Then consider joining the DORK TOWER Patreon and ENLIST IN THE ARMY OF DORKNESS TODAY! (We have COOKIES!) (And SWAG!) (And GRATITUDE!)

https://www.dorktower.com/2025/06/16/19544/

https://dorktower.kovalic.com/?p=19544

oursin

I cannot help myself feeling a certain gratification when a reviews editor calls the reviews I have just submitted 'beautifully written' and is eager to solicit further (though as I have several others in hand, may not take this up very urgently....) (Preen, preen.)

Have also been solicited quite out of the blue to take part in a podcast. WOT.

It is also very pleasing that the return of Lady Bexbury and her extensive circle is appreciated.

***

Not so very long ago I posted about this lady who worked for SOE way back when: and now Blaise Metreweli named as first woman to lead UK intelligence service MI6.

I thought The secret lives of MI6’s top female spies this was connected - it's actually 2022 but maybe being reposted for the new association. There are several paragraphs of aged former secret agent lady waxing snarky about the sexism aforetimes that precluded advancement up the ranks.

Beneath her tales of life in the service there is real anger about the way women were treated. Both she and her great friend, Daphne Park — a fellow senior SIS officer who died in 2010 at the age of 88 — led distinguished careers but failed to reach the highest ranks. This, they suspected, was due to their gender.
Ramsay speaks in a soft Scots burr which rises audibly when I ask about SIS’s record on female officers. She feels particularly aggrieved that Park, a life-long intelligence officer who held SIS postings in Moscow, Lusaka, Hanoi and Ulan Bator, did not progress to the most senior levels. (MI6 would neither confirm nor deny it had employed Park.) “There’s no doubt in my mind that Daphne should have been at least one rung up as the deputy chief position. I can say that without any equivocation,” Ramsay says, tapping a lacquered pink fingernail on the table. Park, described unkindly in one obituary as looking “more like Miss Marple than Mata Hari”, resigned early from the service in 1979, having told a friend that she would never be promoted to SIS chief because of her gender.
By the early 1990s, Ramsay was rumoured to be in the running for the post of C, although shortlists are never publicly acknowledged. Privately, she thought the promotion of a woman to that role would still be “quite impossible”.... She observes that while many talented women such as Noor Inayat Khan excelled in the Special Operations Executive, a wartime secret service and sabotage unit set up in 1940, there was a long period afterwards when women ceased to be employed as intelligence officers at all. Ramsay recounts an episode in the 1970s when she came across a woman she thought would make a “perfect” agent-runner. She telephoned the head of recruitment to discuss the prospect, who told her they weren’t looking for women. “He said, ‘It would take an extraordinary gel’ — and it was the ‘gel’ that got to me — ‘to be an intelligence officer’. And I said, ‘Well, it would take an extraordinary boy too, but it hasn’t stopped you recruiting males!’”

yourlibrarian

1) Even though I know it's difficult to get any traction with communities, I decided to give a new one a go. Unfortunately Dreamwidth does not give over defunct communities to new mods, which is a shame since quite a few communities don't make it a year and the admin has disappeared.

I know there are many crafters on Dreamwidth but it seems nothing devoted to it has been updated in eons or has no admin or both. So I decided to open

everykindofcraft for what it says in the name. A community where people can share their projects, either in process or completed, as well as ask for assistance with craft-related things. ( Read more... )

If anyone would be interested in co-modding, let me know!

2) Thought it was amusing when I read in this article about Andor filming locations that a building of Calatrava's was a central choice. I've liked his work and had a book on his portfolio (most of which has involved bridges and transportation centers rather than, say, office buildings). But I didn't recognize it, which is probably in part because I was so riveted by what was happening on screen and partly because I hadn't realized they'd done as much location shooting as they had.

3) Posted another set of travel pics over

common_nature, this from the International Rose Test Garden in Portland.

4) Read the latest two books by Ellie Griffiths, and had mixed feelings about them. They are Bleeding Heart Yard and The Last Word which I read in order. I had issues with the mystery in the first and felt like the resolution to the second one was rather pro forma. ( spoilers )

5) Also tried out the first of Helen Fields' DI Callanach series, Perfect Remains ( Read more... )

Poll #33260 Kudos Footer-527

This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7

Want to leave a Kudos?

View Answers

Kudos!
7 (100.0%)

dewline

solarbird has some thoughts about one of the Vulgarian's latest eruptions on "Pravda Sotsialnaya" yesterday, in which he demanded the US federal government get on with the ethnic cleansing on what I suspect to be Stephen Miller's continuing "advice". She's on point here.

This is one of the major reasons why I still think Canada should get out of the so-called "Safe Third-Country Agreement" with the US government right bloody now. Yesterday would have been better, and today would still be good. We need more people up here in Canada anyway to do all manner of work. Whether it's through regular immigration channels, regular refugee channels, or emergency "save the people about to be put through refoulement ASAP, dammit" measures.

Yes, there's a specific word for what Trump and Miller are trying to do to millions of people across the USA right now.

Refoulement.

That's what "remigration" is code for. Sending them back to the undeserved hells they've escaped from.

I intend to have a word about this with my MP and/or her staff. Today.

She is angry

yourlibrarian posting in

common_nature

We were only in Portland for a day but we had enough time for a few hours in the International Rose Test Garden. In fact we didn't even spend that long because it was smaller than expected and some bushes hadn't even bloomed yet (despite what the website said as mid-May being an ideal viewing time). We took about half the time we were there trying to park. It was also the most overcast morning of the trip -- we had amazing weather the rest of the time.

Nonetheless what was in bloom was lovely. ( Read more... )

maju

13. What do you have trouble seeing clearly in your mind? The next few months.

14. What are you looking forward to? Being settled in Connecticut with my daughter and family.

15. What is the number one thing you want to accomplish before you die? Apart from finishing a couple of quilts which are languishing unfinished in a cupboard, nothing major comes to mind.

16. When is love a weakness? I 'm not sure that real love can be a weakness.

elainegrey

B-- died on Friday afternoon.

B's son's cat Mr Darcy died on Saturday. Mr Darcy had made the trip to NC a few times while B-- declined, giving B-- some cat time, after B--'s cat died in March? Can't remember in the blur. B's son (Br--) and his wife (AC) had to race from his father's bedside late Friday night to get home to have Mr Darcy die in his arms on the way to the vet.

D-- was sick on Saturday, when we brought her dinner. Christine became sick, with a fever, yesterday. She tested late in the day and has COVID (for the first time). Today we find D has COVID, and AC has COVID.

I'm masking, Christine's masking, we're doing what we can. I've not had COVID before and am not excited about catching it after my two doses of Rituximab. I think the treatment is motivating me to be more careful than i would have been in this situation. So far, no fever.

I don't know what to call the first half of 2025, but it does seem unnaturally loaded. I suppose there was a long period of

prisonerex_mod posting in

prisoner_exchange

Apologies for the delay! Now that the deadline has passed, there are still a few pinch hits seeking a creator. These pinch hits will be due Mon 23 Jun 2025 at 10:00PM EDT. Please reply to this post with the number and username that you want to claim (all comments are screened). You can also send an email to prisonerex.mod@gmail.com to claim.

( PH 1 - Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Fire Emblem Musou: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, 殺し愛 | Koroshi Ai (Manga), Limbus Company (Video Game) )

( PH 2 - Don't Worry Darling (2022), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), This Means War (2012), Wish (Movie 2023) )

( PH 4 - Team Fortress 2, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison, Scream (Movies) )

( PH 5 - Doctor Who (1963) )

( PH 6 - Vlad Țepeș (1979), Felvidek (Video Game), 15th Century CE RPF )

( PH 7 - 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù )

( PH 8 - DCU (Comics) )

susandennis

Friday night, Ethel asked me if I wanted wine or water 'or we have some tonic and lime' and pointed to glasses set up that looked delicious and refreshing so I opted for tonic and lime. And now, of course, I'm hooked. I do enjoy a good gin and tonics but I like most alcohol, while I enjoy the taste, I do not enjoy the effects. Plus who needs the extra calories anyway? For some reason it never occurred to me to just leave out the gin. So tonic and lime is my new, refreshing, Summer beverage.

I went out yesterday to buy some tonic and to make an Amazon return and then remembered, after I had left, that the UPS shop was closed for father's day. So I still have that errand to do. But, still no hurry.

There are workers out on the patio this morning but they are working very quietly :) There are several tables set up for eating so someone must be having a lunch or dinner out there today. Tis the season. My friend, Steve, gathers folks for dinners on Thursdays out there. I can watch from my table. I keep thinking I'll join them sometime but on Thursdays I usually find a million reasons why I'd rather not. Starting with... eating outside?? I've never understood the allure. It's way cooler and more pleasant in here and... no bugs.

I have nothing on the agenda today. So that's probably what I will do. More Clarksons Farm and more Pride dolls. I need to build up an inventory for when I'm not knitting next week. My New Zealand friends arrive on Sunday.

Even with nothing on the agenda, it would be good if I got dressed.

runpunkrun posting in

fancake

Poll #33259 round 176 theme poll

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 94

Pick the next theme of fancake:

Books & Writing
30 (31.9%)

Protest & Revolt
25 (26.6%)

Working Together
39 (41.5%)

haitangkitty

It's been almost a year since i got into LE SSERAFIM.I've gotten into many new kpop groups in the past year and a half but they're the only one that i have the same amount of excitement after the honeymoon phase. I would say that they're my ult group. I actually listen to their music every day i haven't gotten bored of their songs they are just so good. The members, visuals, message, lyrics, vibe, fandom - i love everything about them, they are just a very lovable group. I'm so happy that this year has been successful for them and the hate train ended. They recently published their Japanese single "Different". The new JP album will also have a single "Kawaii", that will be a title track to Netflix My Melody&Kuromi series!

Right now they have been touring in Japan and Yunjin was on a one month break because she had back issues. Luckily she is recovered now and they will continue touring: they will do two concerts in Tokyo Dome for the first time! It was actually my dream to travel to Japan to see them there but unfortunately i'm unemployed and have no savings ;_;

Watch on YouTube

I love this song! Fresh vibes for the summer. I'm only annoyed that it's so short...
Fans have already pointed out how they put a song about being different during Pride Month! They also performed it with rainbow visuals. Both Yunjin and Chaewon have showed support for the community this month (and Sakura earlier in her career).

Watch on YouTube

I had to put the English version too because the visualizer is just so amazing. I need a le sserafim game asap!

I feel like i'm at a point in kpop where i've found the artists i'm really into. I've been checking new 5th gen artists just for the excitement of something new but i feel like i've found my thing now. Before i got back into kpop last year i actually only listened/stanned SM groups and now it's almost only Hybe groups. I've talked earlier on my blog about digital minimalism and curating my social media experience and how i engage with art. Kpop can be very consumerist, fast paced, chaotic hobby if you want it to. Luckily i left twitter and i use less tiktok and i only watch edits and don't care for fanwars, South-Korea "lifestyle" or recycled discourse. I really only buy stuff i'm 100% into and i don't collect multiple versions of the same album, i just get my favorite version. I also recently joined a kpop dance cover group(my first one!) for "older" fans and it has been super fun. I've been thinking about taking more dance classes next autumn now that i got more confidence to dance.

For Rolling Stone Japan August issue. I need to get my hands on this. I started collecting physical magazines when i got into Stray Kids (been collecting magazines with Hyunjin covers). I've been slowly getting into fashion and overall appreciating and looking for different aesthetics/visuals. I recently found shoes from a thrift store i manifested: silver sneakers with pink laces!

Also the new ILLIT song that dropped today "Do The Dance" has Yunjin credited as one of the songwriters! Even though i'm not ILLIT's target audience they do have a really cute vibe and i love the magical girl concept for this comeback.

Also if you're interested in getting into Le Sserafim i recommend this site !

chickenfeet

https://operaramblings.blog/2025/06/16/an-oak-tree/

disneydream06

This Week's Movie Quote...

G.: You are who you are. The only trick is not getting caught!
M.: How'd YOU end up here?
G.: I got caught.

Poll #33258

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5

View Respondents

Which Movie Does This Quote Come From?

View Answers

Bottoms
0 (0.0%)

But I'm A Cheerleader
2 (40.0%)

D.E.B.S.
0 (0.0%)

I Don't Have A Clue...
3 (60.0%)

Last Week's Movie Quote...

Vida Boheme: [to Sheriff Dollard] When a lady says no, she means... get your hand off my dick, buddy!

It comes from the 1995 movie, "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar".
It starred Partick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo as drag queens.

Watch on YouTube

Those Who Knew or Guessed Correctly...

murakozi

gwendraith

christalin80

meathiel

thoughtsbykat

adminbear

pink_halen

seaivy

man_of_snows

davesmusictank

hoobird

chaquir

sidhe_uaine42

Profile

: : : L u n a d e l C o r v o : : :

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page Summary

elainegrey - (morning writing)
chickenfeet - Prokofiev's War and Peace in Munich
minoanmiss - Classy Republican Responses To Political Violence
shadowkat - The Weekly Good News Report from the American Resistance & It's Global Allies
house_wren - ain't no time to wonder why
kevin_standlee - Still Not Enough Sleep
yourlibrarian in dw_community_promo - Every Kind of Craft now open!
jesse_the_k in common_nature - Abstract Art on a Northern Lake
disneydream06 - Sad News.....
conuly in agonyaunt - (no subject)
susandennis - Interuptus
hunningham - I want to tell my mother about this
cosmolinguist - Overwhelmed
pilottttt - Новости с проекта "Сквозь Россию на колёсах"
conuly in agonyaunt - One column, two letters
minoanmiss - Hey Canada!
maju - (no subject)
yourlibrarian in tv_talk - TV Tuesday: Deja Vu
runpunkrun in fancake - Theme Reminder: Female Relationships
minoanmiss - (no subject)
lizzybuffy2008 - June 16 & 17, 2025
oursin - I think we know how short-fused surgeon Barry would have reacted to this....
minoanmiss in agonyaunt - Ask a Manager: The Great Muffin Caper
pauraque in common_nature - Dogwood Leaf Beetle
disneydream06 - Happy Pride.....
chickenfeet - Elegies at Toronto Opera Festival
elainegrey - (dawg, cooking, garden, health)
conuly in agonyaunt - (no subject)
conuly in agonyaunt - (no subject)
disneydream06 - (no subject)
kevin_standlee - Short Night, Long Day
minoanmiss - Signs from the No Kings Protests
lycomingst - (no subject)
cimorene in agonyaunt - mother of the groom's best friend doesn't want to take off work and travel to wedding
cosmolinguist - Part 2 of Things About My Voice
pushkin666 - My May and Yearly Writing Total
lassarina - Clair Obscur Liveblog Part Fifteen/Final (probably)
dorktower_feed - Shocked! I am Shocked! – DORK TOWER 16.06.25
oursin - A certain chuffedness
yourlibrarian - Join everykindofcraft!
dewline - "Remigration" and What It Means
yourlibrarian in common_nature - International Rose Test Garden
maju - 365 Questions 2025
elainegrey - (f&f, health)
prisonerex_mod in prisoner_exchange - Post-Deadline Pinch Hits 1-8
susandennis - Monday
runpunkrun in fancake - Round 176 Theme Poll
haitangkitty - get a taste of something...different!
chickenfeet - An Oak Tree at Luminato
disneydream06 - Monday At The Movies.....

Miscellanea

Inbox • Icons
Customize

Things I need to remember:
• Asking for help is not, as it turns out, fatal.
• Laughing is easier than pulling your hair out, and doesn't have the unfortunate side effect of making you look like a plague victim.
• Even the biggest tasks can be defeated if taken a bit at a time.
• I can write a paper the night before it's due, but the results are not all they could be.
• Be thorough, but focused.
• Trust yourself.
• Honesty, always.

Historians are the Cassandras of the Humanities

Voices in the Ether

Network

Expand Cut Tags

Page Summary

Miscellanea

History & Religious Studies

Pens & Art

Miscellany