#it’s the federal fucking guidelines

[bartohenchmanb]

It’s remarkably rare among my coworkers, but working in health insurance, specifically in Medicare Advantage and having to deal with all of the rules and regulations and stupid things that can fuck up a person’s insurance just makes me MORE supportive of Medicare for all.

Half of these stupid rules and regulations wouldn’t be necessary if everyone just had fucking coverage.

[ralfmaximus]

Sweeping changes to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines aimed at cleaning up the polluted, confusing world of online product reviews went into effect on Monday, meaning the federal agency is now allowed to levy civil penalties against bad actors who knowingly post product reviews and testimonials deemed misleading to American consumers.

Fucking finally.

Curious to see how enforcement works, and/or if they're going after retroactive violations. Full text of the August 2024 rules change here.

If you like this kind of thing, don't let Trump back into office. Because, well, you know...

[pandemic-info]

UPDATE: a judge blocked this for now: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-pause-federal-grants-aid-f9948b9996c0ca971f0065fac85737ce

—

This is a huge fucking problem.

These grants account for more than 10% of the GDP. 3 trillion – wiped out.

From the article:

The funding freeze by the Republican administration could affect trillions of dollars and cause widespread disruption in health care research, education programs and other initiatives. Even grants that have been awarded but not spent are supposed to be halted.

“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” said a memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget.

(Use of that language, that entire segment, "Marxist equity ... policies" is disgusting. If you think you're wary of propaganda and you do not see the enormous red flags in that statement, I do not know how to help you. If you're not beyond it, maybe pick up a history book — the 1930s are particularly pertinent.)

The average person may not understand just how far-reaching this is, how many programs and services are covered by grants, that regular people rely on all across the US and globally.

Not to mention how many people just had their livelihood demolished.

Researchers, for example, spend months and years writing grant proposals, their work and income relies on these cycles. So even if this is "temporary", a lot of people are going to struggle.

This is not just a few people in lab coats somewhere, working on something you don't care about. Government-funded research is released to the public, since we paid for it, and is very typically about things the public will want to know:

Is this product safe or deadly?

Is this medication actually a "wonder drug" or does it harm you in the long term?

Is this pollution going to affect us long-term?

Etc.

Seriously, if you wanted any of those things to get better — you wanted lower rates of cancer and other deadly and disabling disease? You worry about trusting public health guidelines because you're concerned about bias and vested interests in research? You want "small government" that doesn't interfere with people's bodies based on a small group's religious dogma, with zero basis in factual, verifiable reality?

Then you should have voted to keep this administration out of government.

Because their idea — which is outlined in Project 2025, and they are following it closely — is that research will be required to rely 50% on private funding.

Guess what private funding introduces a ton more of: private interests, private bias. The interests of stakeholders who do not give a shit if you are being killed by their product, as long as line goes up in the short run.

But even beyond scientific researchers — and those who rely on that work, e.g. journalists, science communicators, public health advocates, scientific artists —

grants fund others like: teachers, police, farmers, women's and homeless shelters, native orgs, medical workers, and on the list goes.

All pending "review" by a thoroughly unqualified gang of convicted criminals and cronies.

[sweetfirebird]

Americans

I said a lot of this in January, but:

Go get vaccinated.

--RFK Jr's little "I am going to find the cause of autism by September" horseshit is going to end with him and the unlicensed "doctor" on his team declaring the cause is vaccines. He will then relax all the federal guidelines and requirements for vaccines, and a country where measles and polio and other diseases were once eradicated will be... a nightmare. To put it mildly. This is because he wants already disabled people to die and perhaps in his case, genuinely does not realize this would create even more disabled people. (The Project 2025 people, however, definitely know and do not care.) We are pushing back on this, of course. Of fucking course. But get the vaccines anyway. My doctor said I can even get the Shingles vaccine though I am below the recommended age.

--Vaccines are considered preventative care. Most insurers, including the state marketplace plans, cover them. You can also pay for them with an HSA if you have one.

--You want: TDAP (tetanus, diptheria, acelluar pertussis {whooping cough}) especially if you are going to be around small children.

MMR (measles, mumps, rubella {German measles}) If you were vaccinated with a double dose, as most were, you are probably fine. But your doctor can check your protection levels. In older patients, this is a concern. They might only have received one dose as a child.

HPV vaccine. Prevents cancer. Do it.

Chickenpox vaccine if you are of the age to get it and didn't. Shingles vaccine if you are of the age to get it or your doctor okays you getting it early.

Flu vaccines. Covid vaccines. (If we have to add smallpox or polio vaccines back to this list, I am gonna lose it.)

If the FDA is allowed to keep doing them, sign up for their newsletters about product recalls. Cook all meat thoroughly, yeah even if you like it pink. Get a meat thermometer. Do not fuck around. They are cutting FDA safety inspections because we are living in an Upton Sinclair hellscape. Wash all of your raw fruits and vegetables. Wash your hands after handling them. (Some people recommend vinegar as well, but if the vinegar is too diluted, I am not sure it's better than water.)

Wear a mask (if your state allows this.)

--Measles is airborne and people can be infected and contagious four days before showing symptoms. Flu is airborne and this last flu season was bad, and the new one will likely be worse because--see above, fewer vaccines. And I am not even talking about bird flu. At least wear a mask in crowded public spaces or on transportation like trains and planes.

Use hand sanitizer, sure, but also, WASH YOUR HANDS:

--hand sanitizer does not kill things like norovirus. Wash your hands with soap and hot water. Get under your fingernails. Not only does this help prevent you getting sick or getting someone else sick, but those shitheads are going to make the health care system even harder to navigate, so trust me, you do not want to get sick now.

(Don't go on cruises. Cruise ships, already plague vectors, now also no longer have inspectors. Yay! We are the healthiest and most sensible country. Sure am glad those billionaires got a tax break.)

Save your money.

--a recession, at minimum, is on the way. (Fascists love recessions. They can promise desperate people that fashy bullshit will help pull them out of the financial quagmire, while actually holding them down in it.) But also, why contribute to the billionaires? And also, beyond that, the odds of strikes or general strikes happening is high. Prepare for that. Also, if you can, maybe get some cash out and stow it away. Just in case. Learn how to repair and reuse or thrift more durable items from back when America did make things that lasted.

Take the biometrics off your phones and use a passcode instead.

--In many jurisdictions, they do not need a warrant to open your phone if it can be unlocked with a fingerprint or a face ID. You have a right to privacy.

Look into better security on your phones and other devices (Kindles, TVs, laptops, tablets, smart appliances ffs). Look into adblockers. Fuck being a product.

--Related: post less on social media about where you are going and what you are doing. Take back some of your right to privacy. Stop using your real name on the internet. Pretend it's 1997 and you are avoiding a creeper in an AOL chatroom. (Kids, you will have to google that one, but trust me.)

Freeze your credit.

--go to Experian, and for free, freeze your credit. You can unfreeze it whenever you want if you need to buy a car or something. Your data is... who even knows where anymore. Protect yourselves. Set up alerts with your bank as well: get overdraft warnings before they happen or turn off the ability to overdraft at all. Get alerts about unusual spending on your cards. Get alerts about low balances. PROTECT YOURSELVES. Republicans eroded or eliminated most government financial protections. So it's just us to protect us from predatory shit right now.

--Related. If you are trans or queer and worried about your rights being taken away, especially regarding marriage. Go to your bank and assign your chosen loved one/s to be your account beneficiary if you die. YOU are naming who has access to your money if you die. Make a will as well. You don't need to be married to someone to leave them your property. Just make sure the will is solid by your state's laws.

Get your Real ID (fashy crap but get it anyway.)

Get your passport if you can afford it.

--if you have a passport already, you can use that to get your Real ID. Either way, you are going to need a certified copy of your birth certificate. (Or the actual thing, if you have it. But I would send in a copy, personally.) This requires into going into the County Clerk offices where you were born or mailing them in a *notarized* form with a filing fee. Notarizations are cheap in most states (excluding NY and CA, where they are like $15). County Clerk filing fees vary. Once you have the certified copy, make an appointment at the post office. You can download the passport form from the government website--you will need to know things like your parents' birthdates and social security numbers, I believe. Yeah it sucks.) The post office will take the photos for you. Do not wear anything political or even funny or silly. Plain clothes. There is also a fee to pay at the post office for processing this, and then a free to the government for the passport (which is dumb. Citizens should just get them free but we don't live in such a country.) Total passport costs are going to range from $130 to around $200, depending on what you need done and how fast.

But if you can, get the passport, and get it soon. They are overwhelmed as it is and things will be slow.

This is a lot of tasks. And the world is already overwhelming. But you are protecting yourself, and in doing so, helping protect others.

[batboyblog]

Is there any way you could put together like, an emergency positivity post or something? Some of Biden's biggest accomplishments in office? I ask this because after the debate... Well, people are spreading negativity, apathy, and anti-voting rhetoric faster than ever before, especially in regards to his response on Roe and Gaza.

again, vacation I'm tapping these out in a brief moment of peace while the kids are at the beach.

But 1. I'd tell everyone to buck up, and fight your corner, did the media react this way when Trump was indicted for crimes in 4 different cases? did they act this way when he was declared a RAPIST! in court? did they act this way when he was convicted of 34 felonies? and we don't even know if he'll end up in prison? no? then fuck off with this BS, there's one person who should drop out and its not the slightly older man who had a cold, its the rapist. And there's one way we stop a RAPIST from being President (again) we vote for the old man.

second, on Roe just briefly, Joe Biden's ability to do things on this issue without Congress is very limited, but he did two things that a Republican would not have done (indeed would have done the reverse) one he made sure that people can get mifepristone by Telehealth and through the mail, keeping the door open for medical abortion nationwide, of course this is not perfect but understand a Republican would have not done this, and so in states with bans it'd be BANNED, second he issued guidelines that the federal law that covers emergency care, the part where the ER can't throw you out with a heart attack because you can't pay, would cover abortion emergencies as well, too many women are being sent to wait in parking lots to bleed till its "their lives" at risk, how much worse would it be if HHS wasn't saying "no you HAVE TO treat them"?

it can ALWAYS be worse, always, Biden has done things to limit this damage, things a Republican would not have done, and in the case of mifepristone like would have taken steps to block access.

So you like Roe? you want abortion protected? Biden is your guy, send him a Democratic Congress, the first 100 days will see an abortion rights bill passed and him sign it, he'll only appoint pro-choice Justices to the Supreme Court. And just as a side note, he's said that, which in the past, Obama, Bill Clinton for sure, both felt like they had to say they wouldn't make that a test (while Republicans made overturning it a open test for every Justice since GHWB was President) The Democratic Party is more pro-choice than it has ever been before, its no longer scared to support abortion rights, thats a big shift, that Biden has been in the front of

[credince--writes]

Deep In Those Woods- Chapter 9

Keegan P. Russ x Fem!Reader

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6- Chapter 7- Chapter 8 - Chapter 9

AO3

You find a strange man in the woods, no doubt running from the federation. He seems, well, in simple terms beat to shit. May your act of kindness not go unpunished.

A/N: lil treat for everyone since it's been so long since i posted this fic

Taglist:

@dindjarinsmeshla @tessxq @ladyvlolypop @tiny-kasper

@biggiecheeselover @konigsleftkidney @mykneeshurt @katsufairies @noname0756 @brain-has-left @vinithechocolatevampire

All it had taken was the muzzle of a handgun stuffed into the poor fed’ saps mouth- gagging on the metal pushed to the back of his throat (before he pulled the trigger)- for Keegan to acquire the necessary materials (a donor radio) to repair his radio (Merrick was pissed).

Not only did he get a reaming that had to of ranked at least in the top four of his current reaming tally- he’d counted a least twenty-five times Merrick had broken some kind of communication guideline. But at the same time- who was going to complain? They were doing the dirty work- Merrick could cuss Russ out over the radio until the batteries died and he doubted any brass would give a shit as long as the papers came across their desk marked as a success. 

He’d conveyed over to the Ghosts that regardless of his time spent there no, he was not injured (a blatant lie)- ‘just about as banged up as usual, sir.’, the objective hadn’t been reached yet (it had gotten more complicated, and it didn’t help he’d been down for… he really didn’t know how long. Asking would give it away.), and there was a surprising amount of federation presence in this valley (which signaled exactly what they were worried about). 

What he wasn’t prepared for, however, was Merrick calling his bluff. He’s used to getting away with it- 

“You’ve been on a path of self-destruction since he died, Russ.” “I don’t need your fuckin’ pity, Merrick.”

“I need to know you aren’t a liability in the field.”

“When have I ever been? Just give me the file.”

Merrick paused, that twitch of the vein in his neck he’d always had when anyone managed to raise his blood pressure ten points. “Don’t make me regret this Russ.”

He didn’t linger on the fact that this was probably exactly what he was worried about regretting. That much so that when he’d watched Kick no so subtly kick Hesh and Logan out of the back of his bush plane and into the landing zone he’d nearly contemplated slinking back into the woods and just not coming out. But that damned dog would find him- he was sure of it.

He didn’t though.

Logans arms wrapped around him, pulling him forward and into a tight hug. “I’m so pissed at you right now-”

Keegan's ribs groaned in response, the air leaving his lungs in a wheeze and letting out a strained, quiet “Ow.”

His arms immediately retracted, scanning him up and down for visible wounds. Hesh lingering in the back, scanning the treeline with Riley at his side. He quirks a brow, glancing over at him. “You good?”

“Nothing a few hundred hours of sleep won't fix. You both didn’t need to come out-” And babysit me, you fucking pricks went unsaid. He turned, marching his way back on track- he's fulfilled the list of items that needed to be carried out before returning to you.

Soft hands, kind eyes.

Soup.

His stomach grumbled, much to his dismay.

“Where’rya headed? Towns the other way.” Logan piped up after twenty minutes of navigating the forest in silence. 

“Not headed to town. Headed up the valley.” His reply was blunt- and had he been in any sort of a better mood he’d had filtered his words to come out less like a baseball bat to the teeth.

“I think what we’re getting at is where.” Hesh bluntly replied- matching Keegans tone. Glancing back behind him to make silent conversation via eye contact with Logan.

It was going to be one of those hikes, wasn’t it.

Sure a shit hope not.

“Base of operations. Unless you want to be sleepin’ in the woods for the next month. Shut your trap and get a move on.” Keegan had been reasonably bitchy, withdrawn into himself. It really hadn’t been that long since they’d buried Ajax. There was a far away look in his eyes more times than not, a certain glaze that hadn’t gone away. Either outright ignoring Logan most days, locking himself in his room.

Merrick had grabbed Logans shoulder, pulling him back from knocking on Keegans door not to long before he’d been sent off to these woods. 

“It’s not the right time.” He’d offered.

Give him time to mourn, in his own way.

He’d wanted to bite back- like we were given time to mourn? Like we were able to shut ourselves out?

He didn’t.

“How far?” Hesh asked.

“Keeping low? Two day hike.”

One and a half days, then. 

---

A lot of people don’t realize just how quiet the forest is at night. The lack of sound out in the sticks- when the birds have gone to sleep, when the bugs and frogs aren’t nearby. The occasional hum of a mosquito just to add a whining hum into the silence.

“Be a doll and check these for me, would you?” Keegan mused to no one in particular- pulling his vest off and pulling his shirt up and over his shoulders and into his lap. “Infection check.”

At least a bit of his baseline humor returning- “Anything for you, honey.” Logan joked back. Crossing the two steps over to him and kneeling down. Both he and Hesh shared a glance at the remnants of black and purple bruises splayed out across his ribs, back onto his shoulder. “What happened?” Tentatively pulling the bandage back to see a deep, angry gash next to his shoulder blade. “And who patched you up- you can’t reach back here, let alone patch yourself up.”

Hesh knew the bruises looked worse than they were- or at least hoped. Neither were strangers just to how much of a pain rib injuries could be- let alone lingering ones not treated properly.

“I had brunch with the locals. And the bandage fairy, kid, who else?”

“Seriously-” Hesh but into the conversation- frustration rising up in his throat. 

“A Civ. Pulled me out of a ditch and licked my wounds.” He grumbled, as if the admission of it was like waving a white flag in failure- admitting that he did need help.

“I’m doing the op alone. I don’t need backup.” He tossed the folder back onto the briefing table. “That’s final.”

“Must’ve been pretty bad to down you.” Logan offered, trying to lighten the tension of the conversation.

Keegan's silence was answer enough. A silent admission- neither would press him on it. They both knew better. It was better to let it lie, for the time being. 

----

One thing they can’t turn off as soldiers, especially after time spent in no mans land-  is the light sleep. It’d saved their asses many times before, he’d agree. Fully alert, glancing to see Logan & Hesh, eyes open and on the same page as him.

Gunshots-

One thing you can’t hide, with the silence of the forest, it the piercing sound of gunshots. Even far away-

Rifle, most definitely. Multiple shots- rapid succession in a varying frequency. Not someone holding down the trigger of a full auto rifle. Multiple separate hands pulling triggers. 

“Seven.” Logan spoke, hushed down and slipped into the role of soldier.

There are probably a number of times Keegan would be able to count on his hand that he’d truly felt dread. Fear creep into his hindbrain and claw at the back of his throat as his time as a Ghost.

“We need to move now.” Keegan all but croaked out, tone evening at the end and assuming the role of Sergeant, and nothing else. All three were up and moving in step, silence. No fire to put out- the light and smoke are too risky in their situation. 

They both heard fear in his tone as they quickly, guns drawn, ran toward the sound of the gunshots. 

Keegan wasn’t going to barge in, middle of the night under the cover of darkness to startle you out of your skin. His grandma taught him better manners than that- better to show up in the morning when he knew you’d be making breakfast and grovel then. 

He knew he left on bad terms, but he was sloppy, he realized. The last time he was running in this direction it was away from a group of Federation scouts.

Was this to blame on him? Did he lure them to your home?

Your sanctuary?

Why had they waited so long, had they been stalking in the periphery the entire time he laid there? Were they expecting to find him within your doors- not you, oh God, he stares up to the sky for a moment, eyes narrowing on the bright sliver of moon in the sky.

You’d be in bed- and men would be there.

He shut his spiraling thoughts down, locked them deep within himself in that little box he’d refuse to open. Not now- maybe never.

He’d never forgive himself.

The sound of his breath, the occasional scrape of Riley’s nails against bare roots. The synched footwork of the three men breezing over the landscape and into the clearing he knew. Just above the incline would be your home nestled between the trees. Hidden from eyes for so long.

He saw the flashlight attached to a rifle, along with a corpse casting a bright streak of light into the field. Gunshot wounds would always be one of his least favorite things- the obliteration of flesh with buckshot no matter how often he saw it would always make something curdle in his gut. 

Even if there was satisfaction of knowing that it was likely you were the one that pulled the trigger.

Good Girl.

He was broken out into a sprint, passing the corpse without a glance and running into the house through the doorway. Feed crunching broken glass beneath him- the thick, tangy smell of blood hitting his senses- rifle raised.

The house had been ransacked, broken glass and furniture tossed.

He knew Logan had assumed a shadowing position behind him, Hesh not far behind and ensuring no one snuck up on them from behind. Riley an alert presence watching his back.

He peeks from over the beam, a direct line of sight- line of shot to where the blood splatter and corpses piled to your bedroom. Navigating the living area with ease- practiced and knowing that a pile of magazines and books layed around that corner. 

He payed no mind to the sound of paper rustling when Logan's foot caught it.

“Kitchens clear.” Logan muttered, moving back in step. 

He clears the hallway, knowing not much is laid ahead and signaling Logan ahead as he stops over the bodies and into your room. The gore splattered from what he assumed to be a well placed twelve-gauge shot coated the right side of your wall, covering cabinet to ceiling. 

The beds sheets hastily pulled back. Drops of blood misted against the comforter and pillow. The bedside table drawer thrown open, something pulled out from under the bed. You’d tried to run.

“House is clear!” Logan called, footsteps nearing his own from the hallway. 

Hesh staged himself in the doorway, a knowing glance to the shattered glass against the wooden flooring. He wouldn’t step in with Riley- there was no need for unnecessary injury. Not with a cleared house and nothing but corpses amongst them.

Keegan was frozen, bile raised in the back of his throat as he stared at the bloodied cotton torn between the two men's hands. Logan's eyes lingered too, a grim, knowing expression washing over his features. 

The angle of the shot, he followed through the house, implied you’d gotten to the front door. Implied you’d been able to kill three of them before you disappeared. Whether that of successfully escaping, running into the woods to hide or captured- he tried not to even will that option into existence. 

That you’d peaked out from behind the beam, killed the men huddled in your doorway, and ran to escape.

He needed to find you.

Now.

He was moving- brain on autopilot and a vile monster curling over his skin. The cold, calculated and methodical practice of a Ghost meshed with the anguish and rage bubbling up inside him. He’d pulled a shirt from the ground of your bedroom, no blood splattered against the cotton.

He remembered it, you wore it the first day he was cognizant enough to remember you spoon feeding him soup.

“Riley!” Keegan bit out, completely detached. Logan flinched at the bite in his words, the emotion, devoid and removed from the obviously distressed man in front of him. Arm outstretched, passing the shirt to Hesh before marching towards the body laying in the grass to investigate.

“Seek.”

[femmecelworld]

the issue with making this funny is most people don’t understand why they were on Signal. it’s not just because they’re stupid, they’re fascists: they did this on purpose to ignore US laws about proper communication and document disbursement. official communication like this is supposed to go through approved channels so that 1) info is secure 2) there are records

of course including a journalist on this chat and not realizing is the height of stupidity and incompetence—but I’m worried people are missing the bigger issues.

they are on Signal so there are no records of what they are talking about or planning. so when federal agencies try to subpoena these records, trump admin can give them nothing. this is (yet another) part of Project 2025 that no one read; they offer guidelines for exactly this situation and how to avoid a FOIA, journalists, and Dem intervention.

they did this on purpose, so they can finish the fucking coup they started. Project 2025 was written to transition what’s left of American democracy into a dictatorship, where the president rules absolute supported by his shadow cabinet and the other parts of the government have little to no power.

the purpose of a system is what it does.

Media Matters has some good articles breaking down Project 2025, I am begging people to read more about this and understand what’s happening.

(but here are some good memes from this, because i do have a sense of humor)

[mangionebabymama]

Anyway, I ended up rambling longer than I thought, but I get your frustration here. You can absolutely make lighthearted jokes about someone and their quirks without crossing the line into mockery. There’s a difference between gently laughing at someone’s flaws and fully ridiculing them. And honestly, who cares if he was gullible, sheltered, or awkward? How is “mocking” those traits supposed to help him now? It’s definitely not going to get him out of federal custody tomorrow.

The weird part is they make these jokes about everything that went on with the police, for the tactics police use on everyone and are successful like 90% of the time unless someone in the custody has had multiple run ins with the law enforcement. Those just pissing me off. "He accepted food/water", they took him early in the morning, they made a warrant 9 hrs later which means they didn't start questioning him until night. They 100% denied him water or something to eat or even somewhere to sit until the questioning. This part wasn't even him being naive, it was him falling victim to games the police are taught to play with suspects and they succeed in majority of the cases .... The second is "why does he reply to X,Y,Z" people like you mfs have access to the internet, you are seeing the bs they are posting. How tf would he know ? Y'all have access to more information than him.

I’ve seen some of the jokes about the tactics they used in Altoona, and okay—sure, it’s all shits and giggles now because you’re laughing about it in hindsight. But I bet if you were in his position, you’d fall victim to the same games the police are trained to play. Like him, a lot of people have never been in police custody before and wouldn’t know what to do, especially when they’re improperly mirandized and subjected to illegal searches and seizures like he was.

If you were taken into custody early in the morning, not shown a warrant until nine hours later, and denied food and water during that time (also, while no one—that being your family and friends—knows where you are and hasn’t for months and you’ve probably barely eaten, freezing in the cold) tell me honestly: what would have you done in that instance?

And as for getting upset over who he responds to in his correspondence, he doesn’t fucking know some of these people the way we do, or have come to know about them LMAOOO. He doesn’t know the lore or the tea that’s been going on; he probably doesn’t even realize there’s an actual “established” community online dedicated to him, or at least he might not have the conceptual awareness that it’s grown into something so defined.

Also, the people you see acting a certain way on social media, within this community supporting Luigi, aren’t going to “show” or “sound” disgusting, immoral, weird, or however you perceive their behavior to be, when it comes to writing him letters. There are strict guidelines you have to follow when writing to him, and if you want your letter to actually reach him, you’re not going to act the same way you do on Tumblr or Twitter unhinged. A letter gets screened before it’s delivered, and at the end of the day, on paper, it’s just another person offering him support.

[agoodflyting]

HEY TUMBLR PEOPLE- I saw a ton of posts about the recent Supreme Court ruling that allows the criminalization of homelessness, and don't get me wrong that sucks, but this one is way more dangerous and will fuck over way more people.

It's hidden in legalese so I don't think a lot of people realize what this ruling actually does, so lemme summarize for you:

In 1984, the Supreme Court ruled that private sector entities are required to do what the government agency overseeing their sector says, even if there's no law against what they're doing.

Basically, if a group like the Environmental Protection Agency says they can't do something, companies are generally required to obey. Oil companies have to obey the EPA, drug manufacturers have to obey the FDA, charter schools have to obey the Department of Education, etc.

This ruling undoes that.

Let me repeat that.

It undoes the precedent that private sector entities have to follow the guidelines of their ruling government agencies.

This means that if, say, an oil company doesn't want to pay for the cleanup of an oil spill, the only way to make them do it is to take them to court and let a judge decide what to do.

Remember how excited people were just a few weeks ago when the Supreme Court denied that request to force the FDA to change its rules about mifepristone?

Yeah, this ruling is a backend around that.

The Supreme Court legally couldn't force the FDA to change their policies in that case, so they ruled that people just don't have to listen to the FDA if they don't want to.

This is absolutely 100% an attack on abortion, education, AND environmental regulation, and people are sleeping on it because it's cloaked in difficult language to understand.

[ghostcrows]

how am i even suppose to focus without my elixir effects. my fucking apothecary got shut down for not complying with FDA guidelines

post paused. wouldnt it be so fucked up though if a wizard or witch or witchard was subjected to federal regulations and bureaucracy . they were like idgaf if you can cast ice blast youre not gonna do it within 50 yards of a civilian zone or it counts as war crimes and you will be trialed by our FBI warlock...jesus hcrist if the FBI had a warlock. casting nuclear beam and havanna syndrome on everyone

anyway between this and the adderall shortage i dont know how im going to finish this chapter of my grimoire.

[rjzimmerman]

President Biden was good at many things, including an amazing ability to fiddle-fuck around and slow walk important projects. Hence, we're stuck, again, with the right-wing MAGA cult and its leader that will delay again important actions, such as allocation of water from the Colorado River.

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

The Biden administration on Wednesday released four alternatives to address the drought-stricken Colorado River’s water shortages, giving seven states, 30 tribes and the 40 million people who rely on the river a taste of how the vital waterway will be managed in the coming decades. 

But the announcement offers little in the way of hard details, with a draft environmental impact statement analyzing the impacts of the Department of Interior’s proposed alternatives pushed back to next year. The states, meanwhile, remain divided over the path forward to deal with shortages on the river. Over the past year, the seven Colorado River Basin states—Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming—along with tribes and the federal governments have been in negotiations over the “Post-2026 Operations” for the river that will dictate how to deal with water shortages. The river’s current drought guidelines, drafted in 2007, will expire at the end of 2026. 

“We continue to support and encourage all partners as they work toward another consensus agreement that will both protect the long-term stability of the Colorado River Basin and meet the needs of all communities,” said Laura Daniel-Davis, the acting deputy secretary of the Department of Interior. “The alternatives we have put forth today establish a robust and fair framework for a Basin-wide agreement. As this process moves forward, the Biden-Harris administration has laid the foundation to ensure that these future guidelines and strategies can withstand any uncertainty ahead, and ultimately provide greater stability to the 40 million water users and the public throughout the Colorado River Basin.” 

The river that enabled the Southwest’s rapid growth and vital agricultural production has seen its flows diminished roughly 20 percent over the past two decades by a megadrought. Climate change and years of overuse of the river’s resources have led the system’s massive reservoirs���lakes Mead and Powell—to fall to just a third of their capacities. That prompted steep cuts in allocations of the river’s water to Arizona, California and Nevada, and tense negotiations over its future. Further declines at the reservoirs could cause their respective dams to reach minimum power pool, where they can no longer generate electricity, or dead pool, when the water drops too low to flow through the concrete dams’ plumbing.

The Colorado River Basin is regulatorily split in two. The Upper Basin consists of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico. The Lower Basin is composed of Arizona, California and Nevada, which historically has used more of the river. Under the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which divided up the river’s resources and is the bedrock document for how it is governed, the Upper Basin is required to allow the Lower Basin states’ allocation of water to flow downstream before it can use its half of the river. If the Upper Basin fails to send the required amount of water, its own allocation could be cut. 

[mariacallous]

fucking kill me now

Mere moments after his swearing in Monday, President Donald Trump made a proclamation to attendees of his inauguration: “It shall henceforth be the policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.” Trump then signed an executive order disparaging what the White House called “gender ideology” and claiming that a person’s sex is “not changeable and [is] grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”

Trump’s order, which was widely seen as an unscientific attempt to roll back the rights of transgender and gender-expansive people, also instructs federal agencies “to require that government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, accurately reflect the holder’s sex,” rather than their gender identity. It was one of 78 orders signed on Monday, some of which were part of Trump’s attempts to end Biden-era policies that “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.”

While the executive order only affects federal policy, the broader implications are vast. It’s only been a decade since Facebook’s “real name” policy made it hard for people to hold accounts under names different than the ones on their IDs. Facebook has since amended these guidelines, but as companies like Meta clear the way for users to claim trans people have “mental illness,” digital safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people seem to be dwindling. Except in one arena: dating apps.

Following Trump’s executive order, Match Group and Feeld both told WIRED they have no intention of reversing course when it comes to the gender identity options offered on their respective platforms.

“We are not making changes to our apps,” says a spokesperson for Match Group, which owns OkCupid, Tinder, Hinge, and several other dating platforms.

It remains to be seen how other tech companies will respond to the executive order. Some, like Meta, seemed to be making overtures to the incoming Trump administration before this week. Earlier this month, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would end its third-party fact-checking program and transition to a Community Notes model, à la X.

Zuckerberg peddled the sudden reversal as a bid to scale up free speech across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads and allow for more political content. “We’re going to simplify our content policies and get rid of a bunch of restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are just out of touch with mainstream discourse,” Zuckerberg said in a video accompanying the announcement.

Should online life become even less inclusive for LGBTQ+ people during Trump’s term, apps like OkCupid, Feeld, and Hinge could become digital havens, places to connect. “In a time when many of our civil rights are under threat, dating apps have the ability to serve as crucial spaces for gender, racial, and sexual inclusivity,” says Apryl Williams, a professor of communication and digital studies at the University of Michigan.

Over a decade ago, in 2014, OkCupid expanded its gender options for users to include identifications such as transgender, pangender, intersex, agender, and genderqueer. It was among the first dating apps to capture an accurate picture of identity online, and the different ways it was evolving. Currently, Tinder provides an option for “beyond binary” and Hinge allows users to select “nonbinary” on their profiles.

Bumble, which offers 19 gender options for singles, declined to comment on this story.

Feeld is also doubling down on user protections under the Trump administration, CEO Ana Kirova tells WIRED. As societal norms continue to evolve, Kirova wants the app to be a sanctuary for safety and authenticity. “We remain dedicated to nurturing an environment where everyone can be and express themselves authentically, respectfully, and without fear of discrimination, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation,” she says.

This week the Trump administration also began scrubbing the internet of gender identity websites, including the “Change sex identification” page on the Social Security Administration website and the Department of Labor’s page for reporting sexual and gender-based discrimination.

In spite of Gen Z ditching dating apps in favor of IRL hookups, user growth on Feeld has increased 30 percent year-over-year since 2022. In fact, 2024 was a record year for Big Dating, as waves of new users joined despite reports of app fatigue. As more people consider what brings them pleasure and happiness, or simply question the outdated constraints of sexual constructs, Kirova says that Feeld recognizes the inherent fluidity in its members. The app currently has more than 38 sexual and gender orientations to select from.

For Kirova, it’s simple. It’s about growing together, she says, which means making all gender and sexual expressions feel welcomed on Feeld. “Our platform celebrates the ever-evolving human experience,” she says, “and we will continue to build towards a world of openness.” Feeld also plans to host more in-person events in 2025, giving users a place to connect in offline settings.

[dee-the-red-witch]

The Monthly Roundup

Okay, normally, this is just a free monthly post over on my Patreon, but I figured I should push this out into the wild as well, because this kind of stuff's always needed. Want this, and a bunch of weekly readings from a cursed tarot deck, media reviews, and other content including fiction and the occasional build post? Maybe consider adding me over there as well. Anyways, like I said, it's a monthly roundup- in this case a bigass collection of links and resources for folks interested in pursuing gender transition one way or another. And while a bunch of it is transfem specific and sometimes medical transition specific, because it's stuff I dug up while hunting down things for myself, there's also things in there good for anyone of any gender, and resources for legal/social transition as well. And this is long enough to deserve a cut for once, so...

Hey! What If *I'M* trans?

The Gender Dysphoria Bible- https://genderdysphoria.fyi/en Wondering if you're experiencing Gender Dysphoria? This may be a good place to start. Realize the GDB is slanted largely towards transfem folks, so it doesn't necessarily apply evenly to everyone, but it does cover a lot of ground that folks may identify with.

Trans Medical Resources

DIY HRT- https://diyhrt.cafe/index.php/Main_Page (for legal reasons, I'm going to tell you to at least try to see a licensed physician or endocrinologist before starting to DIY your own hormones, but keep in mind, I'm not your responsible adult, and if you don't choose to listen, that's on you) This is the main, best hub for sourcing and getting info on doing your own hormone therapy. Keep in mind, it's once again slanted towards feminizing methods, because testosterone is still a controlled substance in most of the world (which is bloody fucking stupid, but that's a rant for another time).

GALAP- The Gender Affirming Letter Access Project- https://thegalap.org/ While we may have new WPATH guidelines with the Soc 8 updates that dropped a little bit ago, most providers and insurers are still on outdated requirements that insist on letters from mental health providers for transgender-related care. Which can affect access to surgeries, HRT, and more. GALAP exists to connect folks with providers who'll give those letters,m in some cases free of charge even.

Gynecologist List- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Djia_WkrVO3S4jKn6odNwQk7pOcpcL4x00FMNekrb7Q/htmlview This one's more for uterus-owners in general and less trans-specific, but giventhe number of folks with uteri who'd can end up with a hard time finding a willing doctor for some procedures, it's important for everyone. This is a Google database of hundreds of gynecologists, listed by location, willing to perform sterilization procedures with informed consent, without secondary authorization from anyone else. The list is patient-vetted, so your mileage may vary, but for those seeking sterilization and/or hysterectomies as part of their transition it may prove to be invaluable as a resource, because doctors willing to do this work can be few and rare in some areas.

Transfeminine Science- https://transfemscience.org/ Articles, journals and all sorts of researching into, well, just what the name says, transfeminizing science. A lot of medical professionals simply don't have knowledge in the field and are acting on what they learned in med school, which may be way out of date. If they're willing to listen, there's stuff in there to help bring them up to speed. Better yet, it;'s also a great resource to educate yourself so you can advocate for your own care a bit better.

Other Transition resources (legal, social, etc)

NCTE's ID GUIDE- https://transequality.org/documents The National Transgender Center for Equality's guide to changing your legal identity, in a handy format that lets you break it down by state or territory, or even federal documents (United States only, sorry.) and links to the right paperwork to use. Rainbow Passage- https://rainbowpassage.org/ It sucks that we need organizations like this in these times, but I'm glad to see there's people already stepping up to the task. Rainbow Passage is an organization dedicated to helping trans youth get out of trans-hostile states and relocate to safer areas. And if you can, volunteering for them is a great way to help improve safety for trans folk in general.

Seattle Voice Lab- https://www.seattlevoicelab.com/ if you've seen me on social media much lately, then you've seen me talking about this place. This is who I'm (through February and March at least) taking voice lessons through to feminize my own voice more. They also have a bunch of online resources, a discord server, and other help if you need to figure your own vocal chords out a bit better.

Strands For Trans- https://strandsfortrans.org/ Need a haircut, or color or other beauty services you're using for the first time ever as an out trans person and you're not sure where's going to be safe to go? Strands For Trans is the first comprehensive database of Aesthetics businesses for hair and everything, AND THEY VET THE BUSINESSES, to ensure your safety and comfort.

TLC's Life-Planning Guide- http://transgenderlawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/TLC_Life-Planning-Documents-Transgender.pdf The Transgender Law Center put this guide together specifically for planning end-of-life details. Yes, it's a depressing and tragic thing, but protecting and making sure our identities are still properly preserved after we die is still just as an important part of what we're fighting as anything else is. This guide will help you with establishing a Living Will, controlling hospital visits, and setting up proper Powers of Attorney, so that nothing potentially falls back into the hands of people who might refuse to recognize who you truly are. (In many states, you can designate someone other than your next of kin to take charge of your body when you die (next of kin is defined by law, not by preference). If you need to do that, go to nolo.com and look up article on "[your state] funeral law" to get a rundown on if and how to do this.

Trans Media

The Digital Transgender Archive- https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net "The purpose of the Digital Transgender Archive (DTA) is to increase the accessibility of transgender history by providing an online hub for digitized historical materials, born-digital materials, and information on archival holdings throughout the world." (In short, this is one of several free libraries of trans history.)

Totally Trans- https://www.patreon.com/totallytrans/posts Hey, look at that, it's another Patreon! Except, no, wait, it's a podcast! Totally Trans looks at media both historical and modern with a transgendered lens. Sometimes it's silly fun, other times, it's great insights into queer and trans history, and all around it's a great show to add on whatever service you're already getting podcasts through- or you can hit the link above to help support them at the same time for early access.

Trans News, Blogs, and Notes

Erin In The Morning: https://www.erininthemorning.com/ Erin's newsletter runs almost daily these days, mostly with updates regarding trans legislation all around the US. It's a good way to stay up to date, but it can also be a drag these days, largely because it's practically just a constantly expanding list of bad news thanks to the GOP right now.

Stained Glass Woman: https://stainedglasswoman.substack.com/ aka Doc Impossible/Zoe. I first discovered her work and writing when WPATH released their new SOC 8 guidelines, because she was one of the few people that could make the thing actually make sense in non-legalese. But I subscribed andkeep following here for regular updates both because she presents a trans coming out narrative that was just a joy to read, and also covers interesting  news in the field of trans medicine from time to time. Definitely worth adding to your feed.

A Self Defense Study Guide for Trans Women and Gender Non-Conforming / Nonbinary AMAB Folks: https://www.silversprocket.net/2021/09/13/a-self-defense-study-guide-for-trans-women-and-gender-non-conforming-nonbinary-amab-folks/

This is, quite honestly, one of the best self-defense guides I've seen for gender-nonconforming folks (and one of the few, to be honest), short of private defense instruction. AND it's available to read in full for free at that link, or in print for just a 5$ donation. Go check it out.

Other general roundups

Grassroots GAC Resources- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19kSzBLo_hjpiBjHN8tvK73sVHU25NKWjMau2vNl8uuM/edit#gid=778305468 Google spreadsheet of links in general, from therapy help and hrt assistance, to all sorts of other info, some of which are repeats from here, but there's also a bunch of others I haven't had time or opportunity to vet yet.

[cat-mentality]

I see you guys rebloging those posts about the new Cucurucho and like that's cool and all but it literally couldn't be me because I refuse to acknowledge the existence of multiple Cucuruchos.

Because If, big IF, I started to acknowledge it then I would be forced to think about the implications and I'm not mentally ready to go down this rabbit hole.

Because if I was then I would have to ask some questions about the nature of Cucurucho. As in, what are they? They look like a bear sure, we can assume their appearance was based on one, but there is no fucking way in hell they are just your average bear or even a random hybrid. If we apply creative mode to lore it has implications that Cucurucho is basically an entity in terms of power, all seeing and all powerful, literally untouchable.

And the existence of multiple of them?

Oh boy.

Are they on the same level of power? Not authority, not hierarchy, I mean actual power. And if they are, why multiple of them exist? Because one all powerful entity surely must be enough to run a Island with a handful of people on it.

The implications that Cucurucho exists to be perfect are sprinkled all over his interactions with others. Osito Bimbo is very much not the ideal of perfection the Federation expects him to be, he is kind, and silly, truly silly not whatever fuckery Cucurucho has going on when he pretends to be your friendly boss, silly in the way he is much more relaxed and seems to genuinely try to understand emotions and people.

And what, if I was actually thinking about this in deep, would interest me the most would be the implications of his "imperfections". Because why the fuck do they exist. Are they all clones of each other? Are they creatures made by the Federation as experiments?

Because on one option you have to consider that the Federation made a faulty clone and said "oops how we can fix it somehow!" and just.... Let him as he is. Wouldn't it make more sense to just scratch this failure and begin again? Were they in a hurry when they made him? Did something go wrong? Because if he is a clone he should in theory be exactly like Cucurucho.

Is it hard to make those copies? Is that why they just went along with it?

And if he is a man made being, more similar to the eggs, you would have to consider the implications that Cucurucho was raised by someone. That there was a person in charge of teaching him how to act and whatever happened to Osito Bimbo was a human mistake, was someone not following the guidelines.

Which also implies on thinking on how the fuck they managed to create this entity in a bear skin.

And while we are on the rabbit hole, that I'm clearly not diving head along in, which one came first?

Was Cucurucho created because Osito Bimbo was not perfect? Or was the opposite, Osito Bimbo was created because Cucurucho was perfect but something along the way went wrong, maybe they tried to fix something in the original design (make him more 'natural' perhaps? Less off putting) but it went wrong.

And what about this pink eared one. What is his deal.

Because clearly he has been along for a while as he refers to events in the past that he was a participant in. Is he the Original Cucurucho? The blueprint that was exchanged by the New Cucurucho? Or is he the middle man? Created to be literally an 'emergency Cucurucho' in case something went wrong with the first?

And he is clearly capable of some sort of emotion and autonomy as he states he shouldn't be talking to Antoine but did it nonetheless with plans of doing it again.

Which brings us to the biggest mind fuckery about Cucurucho until now: the "maybe" he answered to Tubbo when he asked if he had free will. He denied being controlled all the time and he also denied that sometimes someone controls him and sometimes not, so what does it mean? Because all of them are different in more than just details in their appearances, different enough that we can only assume they all have their own quirks, their own personality as much as the Federation allows it.

Is the maybe a "I don't have total free will because I must obey or be killed but I'm still a being with individuality" or a "I don't know what free will is so I can only assume what you mean" or even "It doesn't mean the same to me as it does to you".

I'm so glad I'm not acknowledging the multiple Cucuruchos! I would hate to write an essay about them!

[slavicgerman]

What do you agree and disagree on as a conservative?

I agree that the Constitution is the guideline for this country.

Congress and the Senate need term limits and should be paid nothing like in ancient Rome.

I agree with eliminating any and all liberal policies and agendas in government, schools, churches, etc.

People should have the ability to buy and own as many guns, no matter what caliber, without any background checks and should be able to modify them as they see fit. They buy them, it's their property.

The ATF and all alphabet agencies should be disbanded. The Federal Reserve is a stain on America and we should go back to the gold standard.

We should stop relying on foreign oil when we have our own.

Everything we use should be made here and not in some other country.

I believe in the right to defend yourself, your property and your family using lethal force, if necessary, and not being arrested and being turned into the villain.

A county without a closed border is not a country. Illegals deserve and should get nothing. No voting, no benefits, nothing. Zero.

I believe in vigilante justice.

There are only 2, repeat 2 genders. The rest belong in a rubber room.

LGBTQ shit needs to stay at home and not out in public and especially away from children. Two guys want to play backgammon together that's their business. I'd even go so far as to say if they want to play house then they should never be able to adopt children.

I think NATO is a waste of time and money. Same goes with the whole "climate change" bullshit.

What I do not agree with above all else is any Conservative saying Israel is our "greatest ally", sucking Jew cock at every turn and licking their ass.

I do not agree with getting involved in other countries business. If the country doesn't have America in the name then who gives a fuck.

Lastly I believe every politician is a traitor. Some more than others but they're traitors and they all need lined up against a wall and shot.

[dreamingofbabylon]

💖 yet another humble Worker's Rights PSA from me to you during this beautiful Labor Day season💖

Stay up to date on your local labor laws!

They vary from state to state, and some cities or counties may have their own guidelines as well!

Take a few minutes and literally just do a web search for "[Location] labor laws". There should be a dept. of labor website for your state or city that summarizes your rights.

You can also try a search for a specific issue. For example, "[City, State] overtime compensation labor laws"

DOL.gov has a ton of resources for federal rights, and how to protect them.

If the legal jargon is unclear, the same search terms may also bring up articles or bullet point lists that are more accessible. Just make sure it's up-to-date and from a reputable source (written by a credible employment lawyer in your state for example).

Employers can, and will, fuck you over.

Even if you generally like or trust your employer, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. Even if it isn't malicious, negligence is always possible. A small business, for example, may have inadequate legal counsel, and be ignorant to a new law (not a valid excuse btw 🖤).

I personally have two friends working in a county that implemented mandatory paid sick leave in response to covid. Neither of their employers updated their policies to comply. But since I happened to read about it, they both now know they're potentially owed hundreds of dollars.

If your employer is resistant or unresponsive, contact the department of labor in your state and file a complaint. (Sometimes simply implying you'll do this is enough for them to respond. But use your best judgment here to avoid excessive conflict with your employer.)

To be clear, I'm not a lawyer or an expert. These are just some things I wish I'd known before entering the workforce.

Know your rights. Fight for them. Protect yourself, your friends, and your coworkers.