#which will 100% be broken just from the infant update

[tskumoyuuma]

my desire to play the sims 4 has spiked so much recently but I'm forcing myself to hold off until growing together comes out

[presidentrhodes]

iron husbands?

yaaaaaas thank u ❤️❤️❤️

who’s the werewolf and who’s the hunter

tony is the hunter; he comes from a long family of hunters who hunted werewolves in europe and then crossed the pond to come to the us. rhodey is heir/alpha to one of the royal bloodlines and centuries of survival instincts carved into his very dna has taught him to keep a low profile. rhodey's kept an eye on tony since college because their respective bloodlines have a long, bloody history. when wolves start turning up dead, rhodey assumes tony must be responsible, so he shows up in new york, ready to put tony's entrails on display in time square as a statement to the humans. except, to his surprise, he finds out tony has not only left his family's bloody history behind in the past, he's become a vocal activist campaigning for the rights of magical creatures in the country, including the werewolves. cue, rhodey and tony team up to find out who's killing the wolves and take them down; in the process, they obviously fall in love.

who’s the mermaid and who’s the fisherman

tony is the mermaid; he's been cast out of his family because of a mistake that got many merpeople and other marine creatures killed. he's been struggling to survive in the vast depths of the ocean, depressed, lonely and almost going out of his mind. one day, he sees a fishing boat capsize; while the land breathers are obviously an enemy, he ignores his basic survival instincts to help the fisherman struggling to stay afloat in the rough waters. tony brings the fisherman to a nearby island, with lots of greenery in the middle and no humans on it, and tends to his wounds (a broken arm, cuts and bruises etc). when the fisherman comes to, tony learns his name is rhodey and that, like him, he had also been cast out of his family and has nowhere else to go; that's why rhodey had set off for the ocean, hoping the waters would take him somewhere new. tony proposes that given their similar situation, they can begin their life anew on the island. and rhodey agrees.

who’s the witch and who’s the familiar

tony's the witch, rhodey is the familiar. tony spent the first 20 years of his life thinking he didn't have magic, even though everyone in his family is a witch or a warlock. rhodey's an animagus; his animal form is a grey wolf, and he had been with tony since he was a puppy and tony an infant. one day, tony is being chased by a wendigo and rhodey leaps in front of it to save tony's life, getting seriously wounded in the process. tony panics because rhodey's literally bleeding out in his arms and he summons every last bit of strength and wills rhodey's wounds to close shut. they do; and suddenly tony feels the magic surge through his veins, beat against his pulse and thrum in his ears. rhodey's wounds heal completely within minutes and tony, with his newfound powers, drags his best friend and familiar to the nearest bar for a celebratory drink because "fuck you, howard, i'm a witch."

who’s the barista and who’s the coffee addict

tony is the barista. he runs a small coffee shop that fits barely 10 people indoors and business has been bad ever since a fancier café opened across the road. tony knows he's going to probably have to close down soon and move out of the city because he can no longer afford rent. one night, right before he's about to close for the day, a tired businessman comes stumbling in and offers a $100 bill for a cup of coffee. tony notices how distressed and tired the man looks, so he lets him in and makes him a strong cup of coffee and warms up some meat pie, which the latter accepts gratefully. he finds out that rhodey's under a lot of stress because the board of directors at his company is trying to oust him from power. tony lends rhodey a listening ear that he desperately needs and they stay there in the café until 3am. from next day onwards, rhodey becomes a regular patron at the café, but business still dwindles until one day, tony puts up a notice outside informing customers that he will close down by the end of the week. rhodey doesn't show up for the next several days and tony assumes he probably gets his coffee from the other café now; until, on friday, as tony's about to close his outlet for the final time, rhodey shows up and hands him a stack of papers: it's the purchase deed for the space across the road. turns out, rhodey made the other café owner an offer they couldn't turn down. rhodey tells tony that he quit his job as ceo of his company and asks tony if he wants to be business partners. within a month, they're running the café from across the road and business has never been better; tony still works as barista from time to time even though they now have 10 full-time staff and rhodey's already talking about plans to create more franchises across the country. at some point, they evolve from being just business partners to...well, partners.

who’s the professor and who’s the TA

tony's the TA/PhD candidate and rhodey's the professor. they are both astrophysicists by training and they study pulsars for research. needless to say, their academic opinions differ plenty and whenever tony isn't marking problem sets and rhodey isn't lecturing young, impressionable minds, they're arguing about pulsars and what they can tell the world about matter and the existence of other exo-planets over a night cap. tony is envied by the other doctoral candidates in his year because he gets to spend so much time in professor rhodes' proximity (hello??? hot, youngish professor who's super accomplished, super smart, has some graying hair, wears tight polos and black-rimmed glasses? fucking hell...) in this instance tony's like 29, rhodey's about 34.

who’s the knight and who’s the prince(ss)

rhodey's the knight and tony's the prince. here's the backstory: tony's mum was king howard's first wife. when howard remarried, he had another son, prince arno. per the kingdom's rules on succession, you can only ascend the throne if you're of pure royal blood. tony's mum was a commoner, so she was never afforded the royal title of queen, whereas howard's second wife was a princess from a neighbouring kingdom. that said, king howard wants tony to inherit the throne, something that many of his close advisors as well as arno and his mother refuse to accept. they see tony as an impediment and when howard falls ill, numerous attempts are made on tony's life. tony is obviously very booksmart and he excels at strategy, which is why howard wants him to be king. when howard senses a possible civil war could be brewing in the kingdom, between supporters who want tony to be king and those who'd prefer arno, he calls aside a young knight, sir james, and makes him swear on his life to protect tony. (howard knew tony and rhodey had been childhood friends, which is why he approached him in the first place) when shit hits the proverbial ceiling, rhodey protects tony from all manners of assassination attempts until arno and his mother are finally thwarted and kicked out of the kingdom. tony becomes king and rhodey becomes his most trusted advisor, friend, confidante, and general. basically, tony hands the keys of the kingdom to rhodey and relies on him and his decisions to run it.

who’s the teacher and who’s the single parent

tony teaches kindergarten and loves his young charges very much. one day, they're joined by a shy, quiet new student, lila, and her overly anxious uncle, james. tony tries to reassure rhodey that lila, who had just lost her parents, would be fine and that he'd make sure she isn't being bullied or harassed for being the new kid. as the term progresses, lila slowly comes out of her shell; she makes friends, she loves recess, she loves colouring, and she is good with numbers. every week tony calls his kids' parents to update them on their children; his conversations with rhodey, however, last twice as long and become twice as frequent, until one day rhodey invites tony to lila's birthday party. tony isn't sure how to read into this: the other parents have never really invited him to their kids' birthdays and yet he doesn't want to turn down the invitation from the rhodes' (mostly because he doesn't want to upset young lila). though nothing happens at the birthday party, rhodey keeps asking him out. it starts under the pretext of wanting to know how lila is doing and morphs into them just spending time together until tony impulsively kisses rhodey on the day of lila's graduation to k2. with lila no longer his student, tony asks rhodey out on a proper date and soon he's spending his weekends at the rhodes' place until about a year later, he moves in with rhodey and lila.

who’s the writer and who’s the editor

rhodey is the editor for the opinions section in one of the top newspapers; he has a pretty fierce reputation of being a hardass editor who would chew and spit out anyone making rookie mistakes in the entire newsroom. new writers and reporters basically cower in fear; tony's an established hotshot columnist who's been headhunted from a rival paper to write a weekly political column. he is pretty well-known among politicos and is well read by a loyal audience, both offline and online. tony is basically used to getting his way until he submits his first copy for edit and rhodey returns it, each page crossed out in red, and with a remark on the final page that read: our company motto may be all news fit to print, but i am not letting this garbage print. tony is furious. how dare someone call his columns garbage when the news organisation is literally paying him a six-figure salary to write them. he marches up to rhodey's office and barges in, ready to fight. but he stops on track and blushes when he realises this asshole editor is the same handsome college senior that tony had a short, deeply physical relationship with almost 20 years ago. the argument just melts away from him and even rhodey can't find it in him to be as curt and critical as he is to the other writers because damn...the encounter brings up a lot of memories and regrets they have both had since leaving college and then losing touch.

send me a ship!

[loretranscripts]

Lore Episode 5: Under Construction (Transcript) - 4th May 2015

tw: nothing I can think of! This one’s a nice one (but ask if you think anything should be tagged)

Disclaimer: This transcript is entirely non-profit and fan-made. All credit for this content goes to Aaron Mahnke, creator of Lore podcast. It is by a fan, for fans, and meant to make the content of the podcast more accessible to all. Also, there may be mistakes, despite rigorous re-reading on my part. Feel free to point them out, but please be nice!

On the south-west corner of Iceland, just to the south of the city of Reykjavik, is a small peninsula that juts out into the cold waters of the north Atlantic. It’s known as the Álftanes peninsula, and although few people live there, the local government recently decided to connect this small stretch of land to the town of Garðabær, a suburb of Reykjavik. Last year, however, construction on the new road was brought to a halt. Standing in their way was a massive rock, 12ft high and weighing an estimated 70 tons. According to highway department employee Petur Matthiasson, the rock has presented an unusual challenge to his department’s construction project. Now, you have to understand something about Iceland. Much of the region is a vast expanse of sparse grass and large volcanic rock formations. The ground literally boils with hot water at springs and geysers, and the sky seems to be eternally grey and cloudy. So, it’s important to recognise that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of these volcanic stones along the construction route. So, what could possibly be so important about this one, particular stone? Why would the highway department go to such lengths, even covering the expense of hiring a crane, just to move the stone to a safer location? The stone, they say, is inhabited. It is, as it has been for many long centuries, home to the Huldufólk- the “hidden people”. They are the size and shape of humans and live in much the same way that we do, except, of course, they’re invisible. I’m Aaron Mahnke, and this is Lore.

In the late 1930s, another road construction project in the same area of Iceland was planned to cut straight through a hill known as Alfholl. From the beginning though, the project was met with challenges. First, the money for the project simply ran out, and when funding resumed a decade later, construction encountered even more problems. The machines that were used to cut through the hill started to break at an unusual rate. Tools were damaged and lost. In the end, the road was simply built around the hill to avoid the digging altogether. When the road was due for updating in the 1980s, the notion of demolishing the hill was, again, brought up, and this time more machinery was brought in to drill through the actual hill. After the first drill broke, another was brought in, but it too stopped working. After that the workers themselves even refused to bring any of their own tools near the hill out of fear that they would be lost or broken by the Huldufólk who guard the place. Iceland is a culture that is teaming with references to this invisible society of human-like creatures. In a recent survey, more than half the people in the country (54%, in fact) said that they believed in the existence of these creatures. But who are the Huldufólk?

According to one Icelandic folk tale, the hidden people can be traced back to Adam and Eve. According to the legend, Eve had a number of children who she hid from God. But God, being omniscient and aware of everything that happens, found them anyway. In the story, God declared that what man hides from God, God will hide from man. As a result, these children of Adam and Eve vanished from sight and have lived alongside humans ever since, hidden from our eyes. Wherever they came from, Iceland is apparently filled with them. They are described as being the same size as humans, usually clad in 19th century Icelandic clothing, which is often described as being green and simple. The people of Iceland have another term for these creatures, though. They don’t use it as often as Huldufólk, because they feel it’s not as respectful to the hidden people, but it’s a word we all know, and its history and meaning run very deep. They call them… elves.

When we think of elves, most of us imagine the little people who help Santa Claus in his workshop at the North Pole. We picture tiny people with pointed ears who wear tall, pointed hats. But that vision of elves is actually new, dating back only to Victorian Era fairy tales, when French stories of fairies were mixed and confused with more ancient tales of elves from the Celtic, Germanic and Scandinavian peoples. The oldest records of something resembling elves are from Anglo-Saxon England and medieval Iceland, though there are some records that exist from Germany as well, and the characteristics are consistent across the continents. Elves were described as human-like; that they were once divine creatures of some unknown origin, and that they were very, very dangerous. In Norse Mythology elves were mainly thought of as females who lived in the hills and mounds of stone. The Swedish elves were said to be beautiful girls who lived in the forest with their king, and Scandinavian folklore describes them as fair-haired, dressed in white, and dangerous when offended. In fact, in many folk tales elves were given the role of the disease spirits. An elf could inflict horrible skin rashes on the one who offended them, and the term was called an “elven blow”. The only way to calm and satisfy them was to actually visit their homes, often a large pile of stones or a large stone in the woods, and leave them an offering of food. Elves, you see, were dangerous.

At first, elves were simply thought of as mischievous pranksters. Anything odd that happened during a person’s day could be blamed on elves. A tangle in a person’s hair was called an elf-lock, and birth marks were referred to as elf-marks. Elves had a darker side, however. Much like their cultural counterparts in other countries such as hobs, leprechauns, hob-goblins and trolls, elves were known to be highly dangerous. A deeply common thread through all cultures is how easy it is to offend them, and how terrible the consequences might be if that happened. One such tale was that of the “changeling”. According to legend, elves would invade the home of new parents and swap out their infant child for a small elf. Now, while the human baby would be wonderfully cared for back in the home of the elves, the surrogate that was left behind – the “changeling”, it was called – would be fussy and unhappy. In Iceland, there are tales of Huldufólk who kidnapped adults, who are then taken back to the hills to work for the hidden people. In their place, the Huldufólkleave emotionless, hollow copies of the ones they take. It was said that if someone you knew underwent a severe personality change, becoming depressed or listless, it was because they had been replaced by the elves. It was also believed that elves could enter the dreams of a sleeping person and cause nightmares to happen. In fact, the German word for nightmare is alpdrücken, which literally means “elf pressure”. You see, if it was horrible, unexplainable or tragic, there was always one easy explanation that dominated medieval minds: blame it on the elves.

But what if these were more than just folktales? If so, that might explain the incredibly similar stories that exist among the native tribes of the American north-east. In 2011, a non-profit housing developer in the United States began the final stages of their plan to build a $19 million, 120 unit construction project known as “The Villages”. Everything about it looked promising. It would generate roughly $1.5 million in tax revenue for the town of Montville, Connecticut, it would create over 100 construction-related jobs, and once completed, would actually provide affordable housing for scores of local families. Now, because the “Villages” project was a non-profit endeavour, the development company applied for federal funding to offset their costs. As a requirement for the funding process, the developer was required to complete an archaeological survey of the 12.2  acre parcel of land, and that’s when they hit a snag.

The proposed building site, it turns out, encroached on Mohican tribe property. The Mohican people were an offshoot of the Pequot tribe, originating in 17thcentury Connecticut. They had deep routes in the area, and naturally parts of their historic past are still present today. Among the sensitive archaeological sites that the Mohican tribe claimed were at risk were Fort Shantok, Moshup’s Rock, and Mohican Hill. None of those historic sites are unusual in any way, but when the tribal historic preservation officer for the Mohicans presented their case to the Federal Housing and Urban Development Department, there was one complaint that stood out among the others. Creatures, they claimed, lived inside Mohican Hill. The construction project threatened their lives, and unless it was stopped, the “little people”, as they called them, would disappear, leaving the tribe unprotected from outsiders. The tribe has long believed in the existence of creatures who they call Makiawisug - the “little people”. The stone piles on top of Mohican Hill were said to have been built by them long ago, and served as protection from the outside world. These Makiawisug have remained inside the hill ever since, guarding the stones and protecting the tribe. These were powerful creatures that could protect and preserve the tribe, but if ignored or treated poorly, could also bring great harm and chaos, and so naturally the Mohican people became very good at managing their relationship with them.

One of the most prominent Mohican tribe members of the last century was a woman named Gladys Tantaquidgeon, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 106. She was a 10th generation descendant of the Mohican chief Uncas, a prominent colonial era leader, and was also a tribal medicine woman. Her role included maintaining her tribe’s knowledge of the Makiawisug, and how to interact with them. According to Tantaquidgeon, there were even four non-negotiable laws for dealing with the “little people”. First, serve and protect their leader and matriarchal deity, Granny Squannit. Second, never speak to them in the summer months, when they’re the most active. Third, never stare directly at one, or else the creature would become invisible and steal your belongings. And finally, leave them offerings from time to time. And so, to this day, the Mohican tribe continues to make offerings to these creatures and hopes that they will continue their role as protectors and guardians of the tribe. It is traditional to leave them an offering of cornmeal and berries, and sometimes even meat. Sound familiar?

The vast majority of people in the world don’t really believe in the existence of elves or hidden people living in the bones of the earth. One explanation as to why Iceland is different, though, actually has to do with the Vikings. You see, when they conquered a city, the Vikings had real life enemies to focus their hatred on. When they settled Iceland, however, no one else was there to be defeated. Perhaps the Huldufólk provided the excuse that the Vikings needed to feel like conquerors in a land with no native inhabitants. Other scholars believe that elves represent our connection to the earth of old. They are sort of a primitive environmentalism, a reminder of the way life used to be before urban sprawl and manufacturing left its mark on our world. Whatever the reason, our ancestors firmly believed in these other-worldly beings who could bless or curse them at will. Elves served as an excuse for the unexplained; as solid ground when nothing else seemed to make sense. We might laugh it off from our modern point of view today, but centuries ago, elves literally gave people an opportunity to hope, or a reason to be afraid.

And remember Petur Matthiasson, the highway department employee in Reykjavik, Iceland? He’s made it very clear to journalists that he doesn’t believe in elves, but that doesn’t stop him from telling an odd story to those who ask. Apparently, his family came from the northern side of Iceland long ago. There, in the wild north country, the family claimed to have had a protective elf who brought good fortune to them. When they moved south, the family elf remained behind. Petur recalled going on a camping trip in the north some years ago. Before he left, his father asked him, while he was there, to go and pay his respects to the elf and to thank her for the help she had given his family. Not being one to believe in the old stories, Petur claims he forgot. The next day, however, despite an overcast sky and wet drizzle, he woke up sore and blistered by what he described as something like a sunburn. In fact, he could barely stand. Did Petur experience some random, mysterious dermatological episode, or was he the victim of an elven blow from an angry family patron. Like his ancestors, the easiest explanation might just be the most otherworldly.

Lore is a biweekly podcast and was produced by me, Aaron Mahnke. The music in this episode was written by Dexter Britain – be sure to check him out on Soundcloud. Lore is now on Patreon! For as little as $1 each month, you can help Lore become a self-sufficient podcast. There are some fantastic rewards for those who do, so visit lorepodcast.com/support to learn more. And if you enjoy scary stories, I happen to write them. You can find a full list of my supernatural thrillers, available in paperback and ebook format, at aaronmahnke.com/novels. Thanks for listening.

Notes

1. This theory about Vikings needing victims seems a bit off, given that there is plenty of evidence for peaceful interactions between the Vikings and other groups. Also, the first settlers were not “Vikings” as such, who were largely displaced wonderers, but were in fact settled men of power in Norway most likely. Their motivation isn’t known, but most likely had more to do with a desire for more power and independent control, and less to do with conquering.

[ollie-ask-and-roleplay]

Everything you need to know:

Looks defined: Silver hair. Blue eyes. About 5'6" tall, weighs around 130 pounds. Natural hair length is just past the ears, they have hair extensions that can make hair shoulder blade length. Has strap on breasts.

Their name:

Oliver Emanuele (Usually goes by Ollie)

Age: 22

A little about them:

Ollie is bigender (identifies as both a boy and girl), they are biologically male. They have a stutter due to severe, constant anxiety. Definitely the mom friend in a group. 100% human unless somehow changed in the future. Most of the time they are kind and shy, although this is the first muse that has seen the NSFW side of roleplay. They are confident and dominant when in "the mood" ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Haha (I like to think that they are secretly very kinky; but that's yet to be explored)

Has a history of self-harm, suicidal thoughts/tendencies, depression, and crippling anxiety. They are currently working on controlling themself better and improve mental health.

Likes: Making food for other people, helping others, quiet places, windchimes, baking, hoodies, zen gardens, low intensity yoga, etc.

Dislikes: Small spaces, themself (🙁), nuns, large groups of people, spicy foods, etc.

(Likes and Dislikes are to be updated)

Anyways! Ollie often carries fresh cookies with them, don't question it.

Usual Attire: When feeling more male they usually wear a large hoodie with whatever pants they have around. When female it's always different. (Just assume there is a skirt or dress)

Pronouns: Ollie uses They/Them to avoid confusion.

Background Knowledge: (warning: story about parents first) Ollie was born into a very "normal" family. A mother and a father that were happily married and went to a Christian church every Sunday. It was the happiest day in their lives when their first and only child was born with the birth name, ''Oliver". The mother's name was Elaine, she had lovely deep brown hair and bright, piercing blue eyes. The father was Samuel, with blonde hair like sand and blue eyes like the day's clear sky. They were highschool sweethearts. Unfortunately, it was Samuel's brother who had silver hair, received from their father above them. Of course, it could have been a gene that simply skipped Samuel, but he was certain.

Elaine was over-joyed and had hope that they could continue their lives as a happy family. After all, what her husband didn't know couldn't hurt him, right? Oliver was a happy healthy baby, that they both adored almost to the point of worship. Samuel kept quiet for the first month, acting as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. One night, after they had gotten Oliver to sleep, he confronted her.

"Elaine..." He said, the look on his face so morose it could bring someone to tears. "That isn't my son, is it?"

And like that, Elaine's fragile hopes cracked to reveal the ugly truth. She had to face what she'd done. She touched Samuel's face as both their tears started to fall, his of bitter pain and her of regret. She gazed into his eyes knowing this would be the last time they would look at her without hatred.

"... No, not biologically. Ol-Oliver was conceived b-by... your brother and myself." She could no longer look at him and her voice was no more, for sobs had started shaking her body to the core. Her hand fell from his face as she moved to cradle her own body.

Samuel had known. He let his tears fall and left his wife to cry alone. He went into the nursery where baby Oliver was sleeping peacefully, unaware of anything that had happened.

Samuel kissed Oliver's forehead and whispered, "I'm sorry, my son. They wronged us both. I'll be sure they pay for it..." Samuel stood there for a few more moments, tears dropping into Oliver's crib.

The events that followed that night were not what anyone had planned for.

Samuel left his home with his wedding ring on the counter. He drove to his brother's home and didn't bother knocking. He broke a window with a brick laying outside and climbed in, knowing exactly where to go. Samuel stood beside his brother's bed with a brick in hand. He stood there, his rage boiling just beneath the surface of his stoic face. The rage of a man whose family had been stolen from him. Then, as the unsuspecting man was started to wake, Samuel hit his brother once over the head with the brick. Twice. Three times. Samuel did not kill his brother that night, but he did cause brain bleeding which which lead to death several days later.

Samuel got back into his car and started driving back to his home to gather his belongings. He planned to get a small apartment in town and fight for custody of Oliver. However a semi-truck had other plans. Samuel died in a "crash", his small car practically obliterated.

The only reason Elaine had to live was Oliver now. Unfortunately Elaine had always been selfish and her child wasn't enough for her. After attending her Husband and her child's father's duel funeral, she grabbed Oliver in his little mourning tux and left them on the porch of a nearby orphanage. Little Ollie had only the clothes on their back, a letter detailing who they were, a roughed up stuffed bunny, and a chain-necklace around his neck with Samuel and Elaine's wedding rings. Elaine knocked on the door and ran as fast as she could. She committed suicide later that day.

(Okay, parent story end)

Ollie grew up in that orphanage. It was a religious orphanage run by nuns. Ollie wasn't bullied at first, but was often ignored. They were small and quiet and did everything they were told, so the nuns decided they didn't need any extra attention besides "Have you eaten?" and "It's bedtime now".

They played with their bunny until the arm ripped off, at age 5, which triggered his first fit since he was an infant. The nuns quickly sewed their bunny together again, not used to the quiet one being so upset.

At age 8, a boy named Johnny on the playground at school decided to start picking on Ollie because they were an easy target. Ollie started coming back from school with scrapes on their knees from running away and falling. Plus bruises from Johnny and his group when they caught up.

At age 10, Ollie got caught playing with one of the older girls' makeup and dresses for the first time. The nuns were called quickly. Oliver got punished with 10 spanks for getting into another's property and 10 more for "inappropriate behavior". Ollie didn't understand why wanting to be pretty was wrong.

At age 12, puberty had started and something was really bothering Oliver. Some days they didn't feel right in their own skin and other days they were perfectly fine. Oliver was in middle school now, which meant everyone around them were becoming couples for a week or less at a time, and being very curious with themselves. One day, Oliver was listening in on some 8th graders and words of "sexuality" and "gender identity" were getting thrown around. They got curious. "Am I different?"

At age 13, they started seriously researching gender identities on the public library's computer. They were in awe that there were words to describe how they were feeling. They decided they identified with two genders, male and female. Ollie decided to start going by "Ollie" instead of "Oliver".

At age 14, Ollie got up the courage to ask a nun for a dress, and "maybe a lip gloss". The nun was outraged and gave him 10 spanks in front of all the orphan children at dinner time. The nun "made an example" of them and let all the kids know that the orphanage would never spend money on something a child does not need. Especially when the child wanted something that would "make them a disgusting fag". Ollie started getting picked on not just from the kids at the school, but from the kids in the orphanage too. So many slurs and hateful words were thrown towards Ollie that they started to internalize it.

At age 16, they were severely depressed and constantly on edge. The bullying didn't stop and had started getting more physical; ending up in the ER a couple times for stitches or broken bones. They had tried to kill them self multiple times at this point and always wore a baggy hoodie. The life was quickly draining from their eyes. A younger nun, who had only been with the orphanage for a few months decided it was enough. One evening the nun directly asked them, "Do you want to live?"

They replied, "Not here."

The young nun gave Ollie 2,000 dollars of her savings and told them to get as far as possible. They gratefully took the offer and was gone by dinner time the next day.

At age 18, Ollie had made a great life for themself. They lived with two other people to help pay rent of an apartment. They got a girlfriend. They work at a nice Subway job and graduated high school as the Salutatorian of their class. They were fairly accepted as a bigender person both at home, and in school.

At age 20, they broke up with their longest relationship of 3 years. Ollie sunk back into a deep depression and what little progress they made was thrown out the window. Ollie barely managed to keep their job, calling in "sick" too many times. Ollie worried their roommates by spending most of their time in their room alone.

At age 22, things have settled down. Ollie is over the breakup but the depression still lingered. They are trying to heal. They now go to college to get a culinary degree and hope to get their own bakery or restaurant one day.

Thanks for reading Ollie's Story!

[minaminokyoko]

A collection of all my Harry/Murphy ficlets, AUs, and drabbles. It’s named after the fact that I am basically the Queen of the Harry/Murphy trashpile and this is my landfill for all my HarriKarri garbage. But some of you don’t know me, so let me outline the contents of the trashpile. The earlier chapters are fics I’ve crossposted on my blog here, but the others are AO3 only since I didn’t want to spam the TDF tag with my nonsense.

Subtle - Thomas has a “subtle” Christmas gift for Harry (and Murphy.)

A Very Dresden Thanksgiving -  An AU version of one of Harry's first family Thanksgivings. It's AU because in this universe, Charity's son named after Harry is infant age and not the age he is in the timeline of the series shortly after Cold Days.

Side Effects -  Murphy discovers some unusual side effects while sleeping (literally) with her new boyfriend Harry.

Body Swap -  An April Fools' spell gone horribly wrong. Or, right, if you ask one stupid wizard.

Murphy’s Bad Day -  Exactly What It Says on the Tin.

Movie Night -  Harry and Murphy at the movies. Set in 2010.

The Shirt -  A random rainstorm bears surprising fruit for Harry Dresden. Pre-Changes.

Movie Night II -  It's movie night and Harry knows just what to take his former-cop girlfriend to go see this summer. Post-relationship. Same continuity as Movie Night Part I.

Wedding Traditions -  Harry and Murphy suffer through one of the most embarrassing wedding traditions, but maybe it's not all bad.

Shiny -  Harry, Thomas, and Maggie should never be allowed to watch Disney movies.

Moonlight and Meddling Vampires -  The plan was set. Thomas Raith was going to get Harry Dresden and Karrin Murphy to prom one way or another. Dresden Files high school AU, but bite-sized.

Noise Complaint -  It turns out Harry and Murphy's union has some unintended consequences.

In Vino Veritas -  A reverse AU scene of the short story "Last Call" in Side Jobs. What if Harry found Meditrina first and Murphy walked in on them?

Escape -  An alternate version of Dead Beat, where Harry actually did realize what Murphy was trying to ask him when she came over to tell him to "water her plants"--that she needs an escape route from something she's not ready to face.

When Harry Met Murphy -  Just a headcanon about the day after Harry and Murphy bumped into each other for the first time on that bridge in "A Restoration of Faith." Loosely canon-compliant.

Kiss - The first time we see Harry and Murphy kiss is in Proven Guilty, but that's not the first time they've ever kissed aka Three Kisses Before Proven Guilty

Possessives -  In which Murphy's grammatical slip-up speaks volumes.

Reflections -  A mirror image of Harry and Murphy from the multiverse theory.

100 Days, 100 Nights -  Two missing scenes between Harry Dresden and one of the only people on earth who knows Karrin Murphy as well as he does--her mother, Marion.

Home for the Holidays -  Murphy takes Harry home for the Thanksgiving holiday. It goes about as well as expected. Post Skin Game.

Kiss (Part Two) -  The three off-screen kisses before Proven Guilty...but from Murphy's perspective.

Broken -  Karrin Murphy gets a Denarian coin. Post Small Favor, pre Changes. AU.

Of Grave Importance -  In the aftermath of Grave Peril, both Harry and Murphy are struggling to pull themselves out of a downward spiral. But maybe they can make it together. Pre-Summer Knight. Harry and Murphy POVs.

Fumble -  Harry and Murphy get physical. It's definitely harder than it looks. Pun intended. Post Skin Game.

Update, as of 7/11/18:

Taste:  Murphy unknowingly ingests love potion while helping Harry chase down a suspect. Consequences abound. Post Proven Guilty, pre Turn Coat.

Tried and True: Harry and Murphy are out of town on a case and have to spend the night in a hotel in the middle of nowhere.  There is only one bed. Well, of course there is. Takes place before Small Favor.

Church Bells:  After a nightmare, Harry's got something on his mind involving Karrin and ringing church bells. Post Skin Game.

Steady as She Goes: Something's different in Casa de Dresden and Thomas wants to know what it is. Post Skin Game drabble.

Scars: A companion piece to "Church Bells." Sometimes Murphy has nightmares too. Post Skin Game.

Love & War:  It's really not a good idea to threaten Karrin Murphy where a certain wizard can hear you.

Hardhearted:  Thomas wants to get to know Murphy better. He bites off a little more than he can chew. Pun slightly intended.

What Mirrors Don’t See:  What if the infamous Dream from Chapter 14 of Skin Game had happened to Karrin Murphy instead of Harry Dresden?

Mischief Managed: Harry and Murphy track a serial killer on Halloween night. Murphy's feeling a little mischievous this year. Pre-Changes.

Mischief Managed II:  The sequel to "Mischief Managed." Turnabout is fair play and payback is a bitch.

I Won’t Dance: Harry and Murphy have to scope out a perp at a masquerade ball, but Murphy doesn't know how to do the waltz. Fortunately for them both, Harry does. Songfic, sorta.

The Wolf: A warlock traps Harry and Murphy and tries to turn Harry on Murphy. Emphasis on try.

Mambo Italiano: Harry heads to see a witness for a case and get the surprise of a lifetime.

Superconductor: Three times when Harry unknowingly turned Karrin Murphy on (and one time he did notice.)

Midnight Sun: Dresden Files Thor: Ragnarok AU. 

Perchance to Dream: What would life be like if Harry Dresden's dreams came true? Post Cold Days, pre Skin Game.

The Truth: The aftermath of "Perchance to Dream." Murphy's POV.

Eavesdrop: Marion Murphy happens upon Harry and Murphy at an...inopportune moment. Drabble. (No explicit squick, I promise.)

Stay: Few things in this world are as terrifying as Karrin Murphy with a cold. Luckily, Harry Dresden is a brave enough wizard to take care of her anyway.

By Any Other Name: Harry reveals his Name to Murphy. It has an...interesting effect on him. Post Cold Days, but pre Skin Game.

Four Letter Word: Three times Harry and Murphy said "I love you" before Turn Coat (and one time when it was implied). Drabbles.

The Cat and the Canary: Murphy gets turned into a cat. Crackfic/Fluff mashup.

Cheers: A new recruit arrives to the S.I. department and immediately learns a thing or two about Harry Dresden and Karrin Murphy.

Twerp Sweating: Harry Dresden and Henry Rawlins have a little chat about a certain blonde cop. Takes place somewhere between Blood Rites and Dead Beat.

Only Time Will Tell: Maggie Dresden meets Karrin Murphy. Inspired by Zoo Day.

Animals: Mouse's musings about Harry and Murphy. He's a hound with a plan. Inspired by Zoo Day.

Father’s Day: Harry, Murphy, and Maggie celebrate Harry's first official Father's Day. Post Skin Game.

Hazardous: Genderflipped Harry and Murphy are on assignment looking for a chupacabra. Pre Changes.

The Soulgaze Part I (Harry): Harry and Murphy finally Soulgaze. Post Skin Game. Two parter. Murphy's POV.

The Soulgaze Part II (Murphy): Harry and Murphy finally Soulgaze. Post Skin Game. Two parter. Harry's POV.

Hope you like these! If you don’t, well, you know where to find me.

[lastsonlost]

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg heads a coalition between the Conservatives and the Progress Party, which is the third largest party in the country with 29 of the 169 seats in parliament.

The party leader, Siv Jensen, told the Aftenposten newspaper that she was against forbidding circumcision.

The reportedly last-minute and chaotic voting schedule meant that the proposed compromise - banning state funding for circumcision - failed.

Ms Jensen insisted the move was not designed to target minorities and that her party had consistently defended Israel.

The vote in Norway comes a day after Belgium’s Parliament of Wallonia voted in favour of banning ritual slaughter, which would affect Jewish kosher and Muslim halal rituals. It comes into effect in September 2019.

“This is very sad,” Ervin Kohn, a Jewish community leader in Norway, told Aftenposten.

“They [the Progress Party] must know they won’t get a majority for this in Parliament. It seems like they want to send a signal that we are unwelcome in the country.”

He tweeted encouragement for Norwegian voters to support “any other party” in the election this autumn.

Another opposing voice came from Rabbi Menachem Margolin, general director of the European Jewish Association. He wrote a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call for collaboration between European Jewish organisations and government to prevent the proliferation of anti-Jewish legislation.

“I have no doubt that the State of Israel – the state of the Jewish people – cannot remain indifferent to it, and I call on you to exert all your political influence in order to prevent the exclusion of Jews from life in various European countries,” the letter read.

At its national conference, the Progress Party also voted against the wearing of hijabs in public schools. The move follows the party’s third deputy, Aina Stenersen, calling last September for the ban of full-body swimsuits worn by some Muslim woman.

FrP’s former leader, Carl Hagen, wants to ban municipal employees in Oslo from wearing the hijab and other religious symbols.

The party also voted in favour of dual citizenship, and is assured of a majority vote in favour of the measure in Parliament. If someone holds dual citizenship and is found to have violated asylum or immigration regulations, the party argued it would be easier to strip that person of Norwegian citizenship and deport them.

FOR MORE ON WHY CIRCUMCISION IS FUCKED......STRAPPED IN!!

Intactivist linksThis list is mostly an effort to consolidate old bookmarks and fix links I'd bookmarked that were broken. It'll be updated as I find new links, or have to fix broken links. Be aware that links to images or videos are probably NSFW, given that this is a discussion involving genitals.

My writing on the topic:

No Justification for routine neonatal circumcision, part 1, fallacious medical arguments

No Justification for routine neonatal circumcision, part 2, unmerited social support The first article includes a lot of links to information supporting the assertions I've made.

Those links are also included among the links below on this page.

Videos:

Doctor Discusses Circumcision Controversy

The Prepuce Anatomy and Physiology of the Foreskin Video I originally had linked here was removed from youtube, but this one is excellent.

Child Circumcision: An Elephant in the Hospital   ♦

Whose body, whose rights

Difference Between: Male & Female Circumcision

Discussion after screening of the movie "Cut."

Related to Cut, the Film: Debate with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Eli Ungar-Sargon offers facts and logic; Rabbi Shmuley preaches, ridicules, and mocks, even after hearing evidence.

Brian D Earp, scientist and ethicist; discusses why there's no moral difference between male and female circumcision. ††

More from Brian D Earp on comparing male circumcision to female circumcision †††

Brian D. Earp; Female genital mutilation and male circumcision: toward an autonomy-based ethical framework

The Penis - Sex education 101  ††††

Water Bear Brigade: Circumcision, male and female

Doctors on Circumcision:

doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/

Doctors Opposing Circumcision HIV Statement

Medical Association Position Statements

Doctors Opposing Circumcision - Publications

Medical Organizations Statements on Circumcision

How the circumcision solution in Africa will increase HIV infections

Circumcision as a prophylactic against STIs and cancer

NORM COHEN: Circumcision AIDS Fraud

U.S. Navy Finds That Circumcision Does Not Prevent HIV or STIs

Male Circumcision and the HIV/AIDS Myth

Circumcision and Sexually Transmitted Infections

Circumstitions.com: Circumcision and the HIV prevention myth

Circumcision in HIV-infected men and its effect on HIV transmission to female partners in Rakai, Uganda: a randomised controlled trial

PrePex in Rwanda: Male Circumcision Associated with Higher HIV Transmission and Higher Profits

Sub-Saharan and African randomized clinical trials into male circumcision and HIV transmission: Methodological, ethical, and legal concerns

STD prevalence over time: Europe vs U.S.

American Cancer Society: Penile cancer and circumcision

Circumcision the most common risk factor for hepatitis B & C infection in men in Nigeria †

Phimosis: Is circumcision necessary?

Anatomy and function

Functions of the Foreskin: Purposes of the Prepuce

Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis

Study: Circumcision Removes Most Sensitive Parts

Damage

Leaked Audio Shows Doctors’ Association LYING About Effects Of Circumcision On The Penis

Ritual circumcision and risk of autism spectrum disorder in 0- to 9-year-old boys: national cohort study in Denmark

Adult Circumcision Outcomes Study: Effect on Erectile Function, Penile Sensitivity, Sexual Activity and Satisfaction

Alexithymia and Circumcision Trauma: A Preliminary Investigation

Circumcisionharm.org

Male circumcision and sexual function in men and women: a survey-based, cross-sectional study in Denmark Circumcision was associated with frequent orgasm difficulties in Danish men and with a range of frequent sexual difficulties in women, notably orgasm difficulties, dyspareunia and a sense of incomplete sexual needs fulfillment.

Estimated U.S. Incidence of Neonatal Circumcision Complications (physical only) Affecting Males Born between 1940 and 1990

100+ circumcision deaths each year in United States

Lost Boys: An Estimate of U.S. Circumcision-Related Infant Deaths

Toddler's tragic death after circumcision

Baby dies in circumcision

A Gallery of Botched Circumcisions[NSFW]

Male Circumcision: Pain, Trauma and Psychosexual Sequelae

Study Links Circumcision to Personality Trait Disorder

Other Research:

72 peer-reviewed studies

Circumcision and law

Is circumcision legal? Does it matter?

Changes in the practice

Circumcision: Then and Now (How the procedure has become more dramatic)

Timeline of the medicalization of circumcision **

From Ritual to Science, the Medical Transformation of Circumcision in America

Mythbusting

Myths about Circumcision You Likely Believe

More Circumcision Myths You May Believe: Hygiene and STDs

NoCirc PA (archive) Myths vs Facts

Follow the money:

Circumcision: Who Profits?

Wrinkle Treatment Uses Babies' Foreskins

Interest in circumcision more than foreskin deep

Sale of Neonatal Dermal Fibroblasts is quite lucrative.

Hair Loss Treatment Uses Baby Foreskins

Human Foreskins are Big Business for Cosmetics

Babies’ foreskins used to make cosmetics. Is this ethical?

The Foreskin Mafia

American Bias (1) (2)

Circumfetish

NoCirc.com Articles on Circumcision

For Jewish Readers:

How “Cut” Saved My Son’s Foreskin: A Movie Review By Diane Targovnik

Cut, the film Q & A

Jewish Circumcision Critics Integral in National Circumcision Debate

Jewish Circumcision: An Alternative Perspective by Jenny Goodman, MD.

On Alternative Rituals by Ronald Goldman, Ph.D.

Jewish Intactivism: Circumcision Resources

Jewish Intactivism Part II

Jewish Intactivism Part III, More Jewish Parents Are Skipping Circumcision, Keeping New Sons Intact

Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 1

Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 2

Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 3

Jewish Circumcision Resource Center

Jews Against Circumcision

Beyond the Bris

Brit Shalom

What is a Jewish Bris Shalom (Covenant Without Cutting)? A 'Bloodless Bris' is Becoming Popular Among American Jews How Judaic is circumcision? An Israeli Hebrew scholar on Biblical intactivism.

100+ Rabbis and Celebrants who lead intact covenant ceremonies worldwide.

Song for a Brit Shalom.

Bris B'lee Milah Ceremony

A Bris Shalom Ceremony

Judaism, the Foreskin and Human Rights.

Rabbis on a Brit Shalom / Covenant without Circumcision

Humanistic Jewish Movement is Increasingly Intactivist

Jewish Ethical Advancement, the Foreskin, and Human Rights | Part 1.

Jewish Ethical Advancement, the Foreskin, and Human Rights | Part 2.

Jewish Ethical Advancement, the Foreskin, and Human Rights | Part 3.

Israeli Intactivist Groups (Mostly in Hebrew)

Israeli Association Against Circumcision / Intact Son

Protect the Child / Eran Saddeh

Kahal (Jewish & Israeli Parents of Intact Sons)

Intactivism Spreads in Israel. This Time by Jews. (Israeli Intactivist Ads)

Jewish Intactivist Resources and Groups

Cut: A Movie by a Jewish Intactivist.

Questioning Circumcision. A Jewish Perspective By Ron Goldman, Ph.D.

Beyond the Bris Weblog by Rebecca Wald.

Jews Against Circumcision (Bay Area)

Jewish Intactivist Families: Jewish Parents' Experiences Keeping their Sons Intact.

Jewish Family in Vancouver Canada Opts for a Brit Shalom

A Jewish Father's Brit Shalom Journey

Laura Stanley: A Jewish Woman and Midwife Denounces Circumcision

Tikkun: Michael Kimmel: The Kindest Un-Cut: Feminism, Judaism, and My Son's Foreskin

Circumcision Questions (Letter from an Intact Jew). | Published in the Northern California Jewish Bulletin.

Jewish Daily Forward: Outlawing Circumcision: Good for the Jews? By Eli Ungar-Sargon. Published in the Jewish Daily Forward.

Dear Elijah: A Conservative Jewish Father's Letter to His Intact Son | Published on Peaceful Parenting.

Stacey Greenberg: My Son: The Little Jew with a Foreskin

The debate on neonatal male circumcision isn't and shouldn't be about women, but here are some links for those who think it should.

How Male Circumcision Harms Women

Why feminists should be anti-circumcision

Similarities in Attitudes and Misconceptions toward Infant Male Circumcision in North America and Ritual Female Genital Mutilation in Africa

Neonatal circumcision vs female circumcision - though comparison should not matter to the discussion on the right or wrong of performing circumcision on infants, here are some links for those who think it should.

FGC vs MGC

Difference Between: Male & Female Circumcision

On the Good for the goose, good for the gander front, many arguments used to support neonatal circumcision are the same arguments used to support female circumcision

Female circumcision does not reduce sexual activity

The Association between Female Genital Mutilation ( FGM ) and the Risk of HIV/AIDS in Kenyan Girls and Women (15-49 Years)

Yes to female circumcision?

Medical benefits of female circumcision

INDONESIA: Health official claims 'female circumcision is not genital mutilation'

Two studies have reported that FGC is associated with decreased risk of HIV.

*Note - many of these links I obtained either from

this page

or by researching broken/outdated links on it. I've put them here to have them in a place that's easy to find. I will update this page as I run across new links.

[dinafbrownil]

Pediatric Practices Struggle To Adapt And Survive Amid COVID-19

BERKELEY, Calif. — The silence was striking.

On a normal day, the well-child waiting room at Berkeley Pediatrics bustles with children playing, infants crying and teenagers furiously tapping on their smartphones.

On a recent Monday, the room was deserted, save for a bubbling tropical fish tank and a few empty chairs. Every book, puzzle and wooden block had been confiscated to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. There was not a young patient to be seen.

Since March 17, when San Francisco Bay Area officials issued the nation’s first sweeping orders for residents to shelter in place, patient volume at the 78-year-old practice has dropped by nearly 60%. In accordance with guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, its seven doctors have canceled well-child visits for almost all children older than 18 months. And some parents balk at bringing in even babies for vaccines, opening the door to another potential crisis down the road.

In the days after the COVID-19 clampdown, the office scrambled to set up telehealth for sick visits. Still, this small, independent practice has gone from seeing more than 100 patients a day to about 40. It has laid off six staff members, and the physicians have taken a 40% pay cut.

“I’ve been practicing for a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of things. This is a very different beast,” said Dr. Annemary Franks, who joined the practice in 1993. “I’ve never seen in a week the entire thing fall apart.”

Michel participates in a virtual meeting with her colleagues at the practice, who can’t physically be in the same room together.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Across the U.S., thousands of pediatric practices that provide front-line care for the nation’s children are struggling to adjust to a dire new reality: crashing revenue, terrified parents and a shortage of protective equipment, from gloves and goggles to thermometer covers. And all while they are being asked to care for young patients who could well be infected with COVID-19 — and prime vectors for transmission — without showing symptoms.

How well these practices adapt will be key as the nation looks to weather the pandemic: Pediatric offices provide a crucial release valve for the health care system by treating the broken bones, lacerations, colds, flus and chronic illnesses that might otherwise flood overburdened emergency departments.

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“If it’s a month or two of care this way, OK. But if this is months and months and months, we’re going to see more practices go under,” said Franks. “We don’t have some pot of money that we have sitting around to get us through this. We’re fee-for-service. You get paid for what you do.”

Like many practices, Berkeley Pediatrics improvised overnight in the face of COVID-19. The brown-shingled Craftsman that houses the practice was quickly divided into two halves: upstairs for well patients, downstairs for those who are sick. They opened a back entrance up an unused set of stairs so well patients could bypass the sick.

Before they get an appointment, all children are screened by phone for signs of the virus. When possible, sick children are treated via a video visit. If a child with respiratory symptoms needs to be seen in person, a doctor meets the child in the family’s car in the parking lot, dressed in gown, gloves and face shield. Everyone who enters the office — whether child or caregiver — is checked for fever. The practice has only 75 plastic thermometer covers left, and supplies are on backorder. The doctors wear surgical masks even for well-child visits.

“Every day I think to myself, ‘That’s exactly the opposite of what I was taught in medical school and what I was trained to do,’” said Dr. Olivia Lang, another physician at Berkeley Pediatrics. “I’m not supposed to wear masks and scare my patients, but I’m doing it every day.”

Patient volume at the 78-year-old Berkeley Pediatrics practice in Berkeley, California, has dropped by nearly 60% since March 17, when San Francisco Bay Area officials issued the nation’s first sweeping orders for residents to shelter in place. The practice has laid off six staff members and physicians have taken a 40% pay cut.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Telehealth makes eye contact challenging, she said. And in an effort to avoid in-person appointments, health care providers have resorted to prescribing antibiotics over the phone for symptoms suggesting ear infections and strep throat, without doing lab work. “We’re supposed to be good stewards of antibiotics, and that’s being dismantled,” Lang said.

Another challenge is the availability of personal protective equipment, a struggle for all health care workers. Pediatric practices do not routinely keep stocks of the heavy-duty N95 masks, and they seldom use gowns or even simple surgical masks. Now, with hospitals facing critical shortages of PPE, pediatricians are often low on the list to get supplies.

Dr. Kristen Haddon, a pediatrician outside Boston, said the practice didn’t jump to purchase supplies when cases of the novel coronavirus first emerged in Washington state in January. “It felt very far away and seemed very isolated,” she said. By the time they realized the virus was widespread, “there was nothing to be had.” They had no N95s, gowns or goggles, and only two boxes of surgical masks.

Pediatricians are considered at particular risk of infection, given preliminary research that suggests children infected with COVID-19 are more likely than adults to have mild cases and may be contagious while showing no symptoms at all. “We have absolutely no idea who is infected and who isn’t,” said Haddon. “Kids cough and sneeze in our face all the time. And one cough could be really bad for me.”

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, Berkeley Pediatrics in Berkeley, California, quickly divided its brown-shingled Craftsman building into two halves: upstairs for well patients, downstairs for those who are sick. They opened a back entrance, up an unused set of stairs, so well patients could bypass the sick.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Dr. Niki Saxena, a pediatrician in Redwood City, California, said her practice is carefully guarding the handful of N95s they have left from the SARS epidemic and have had to make “some very scary decisions” about how to protect staff. Their options, she said, are to shut down the office — in which case they would go out of business — or to be very precise about when they use protective equipment.

“When you’re in battle, you have to keep your powder dry until you have to use it,” she said. “When I see someone walking through the grocery store with an N95, it takes all my willpower not to rip it off their face.”

At Berkeley Pediatrics, staff members are wiping down gowns after seeing a patient and simply reusing them. When she gets home, said Dr. Katrina Michel, she stops in the garage, strips off her clothing and leaves it on the floor. She tells her two young children not to touch her until she’s had a chance to shower. “I’ve never been afraid to go to work for my personal safety before,” she said.

She worries, too, for the well-being of her patients, as the efforts to contain the novel coronavirus increasingly interrupt basic care. Across the country, pediatricians report that some parents are canceling routine checkups and vaccination appointments — including first-time vaccinations for infants — because they worry about getting infected at the office.

Michel says that when she gets home, she stops in the garage, strips off her clothing and leaves it on the floor. She tells her two young children not to touch her until she’s had a chance to shower. “I’ve never been afraid to go to work for my personal safety before,” she says.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

“We don’t want to create a pertussis outbreak because we didn’t vaccinate all of our babies on time,” said Michel.

Many practices are delaying booster shots for older kids. Dr. Tina Carrol-Scott, a Miami pediatrician, said she’s concerned that the mixed messaging could backfire with parents who are vaccine-hesitant. “If we start taking the stance that because of coronavirus it’s OK for you to be delayed a month or two, it kind of takes away our credibility as physicians,” she said. “Parents are going to say, ‘Well, it was OK to delay during coronavirus, why not now?’”

And it’s not just missed vaccinations that are a concern. Pediatricians are tracking growth and development at well-child visits. For newborns, that includes checks for weight loss, jaundice and congenital diseases.

“We’ve had parents of infants who are 1 week old say, ‘Oh I don’t want to come in; I don’t think it’s safe,’” said Dr. Scott Needle, a pediatrician in Sacramento, California. “We’ve had to tell them, ‘Look, for a 1-week-old baby just out of the hospital, there are a lot of things you need to check that could be much more dangerous than coronavirus at this point.’”

Saxena said the caseload at her Redwood City practice is less than 25% of what’s typical, and warned of even broader ramifications on child health care as the pandemic wears on.

“If people stop going to the doctor altogether,” she said, “then primary care practices will shutter just like movie theaters and restaurants.”

from Updates By Dina https://khn.org/news/pediatric-practices-struggle-to-adapt-and-survive-amid-covid-19/

[jvc-yearofservice]

8/18/19 - 8/24/19

"When it comes to matters of social justice and personal conscience, create as much holy mischief as possible."

                 We had our second Spirituality night together, where we shared our favorite songs and then explained why after collectively all listening to them in silence via a speaker. Mine was 'Kiss Me' by Ed Sheeran. For Community night, we watched Nacho Libre and ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Tres Hermanas, and when the waiter found out that we were volunteers, he gave us free extra chips for the table and a pitcher of mango margarita (Olé!). The house has been functioning pretty smoothly since we have a shared Google Docs with weekly responsibilities for each person (this week I led Community Night and swept the downstairs hallway). I also cook with the assistance of another housemate on Thursday nights. We also have a collaborative Spotify playlist for our house that we listen to on a speaker (lots of ABBA because I created it, heehee).

                 Work has been more prepping and getting ready for the kids, who come on Thursday. The other Jesuit volunteer and I went to the California DMV to get new licenses since we will be driving children around for our job (me more so than her). It was a pretty easy experience, except we didn't bring proof of residence so we had to pretend that the teacher who dropped us off at the DMV was our landlord, and he had to sign a form saying that we lived in his building. Then we had to take a written test, and I failed the first time around, haha! But eventually, I passed, and I got my new license, hooray!

                 One of our housemates hasn't been having the best time getting transportation to work, however. Apparently, the volunteer in her position had to have her parents pay for an Uber/taxi every day to and from her site (PS7 St. Hope elementary school) because the walk/bike ride there is so stressful and unsafe. When we were all visiting each other's sites, we walked together to this particular site, and even in a huge group, I will say that it was incredibly sketchy and unsafe-looking, so I do not blame my housemate for not wanting to walk BY HERSELF AT 5 IN THE MORNING to work. So far, she has contacted our regional coordinator, and he suggested that she simply take a different route, one that is much longer. All of us are behind her, however, and she is close to having her parents drive her car all the way from Boston to Sacramento because she feels like she is getting nowhere with the JVC in terms of being provided with transportation. Likewise, all the community credit cards from every single site in the JVC were declined and found to not properly work (the money we use for groceries, etc). They have since fixed the problem and promised to give us all an extra $100 for our troubles but later changed their minds and didn't give us the extra money (sad face). The most hilarious part was definitely when the administration posted on the JVC 2019 Facebook page to update us all to the problem with the credit cards, and all the volunteers were commenting hilarious things about how they were eating their own shoes for survival, haha. Another funny thing is that I recently compared the JVC to being the pimp of the volunteers since all of our work sites pay the JVC a fee to have a volunteer (and our free labor), and the JVC keeps the money, only giving us a small portion of our earnings in the form of a $100 stipend each month.

                 On the weekend, we got to swim in a former Jesuit volunteer's pool which was awesome, but my face definitely got a little burnt. I've taken to just wearing my ball cap any time I'm outside to prevent further skin damage. Then on Sunday, we attended mass at St. Francis church, which was founded by the Franciscans hundreds of years ago. We sat with another former Jesuit volunteer and our current in-city coordinator, Windi, who is awesome! I even got to hold her amazingly cute infant daughter during mass! The presiding priest was Irish which made the homily infinitely cooler, in my opinion. After mass, we went to a welcome brunch put on by the parish (mainly for the free food), and all these elderly members were so welcoming and fought over who got to sit at our table. We even signed up for a weekend night ministry opportunity to cater to the homeless that sit on the church steps.

                 More information on the homeless issues in Sacramento: I've been talking to the teachers at Mustard Seed, and apparently it is not that uncommon for children to show up for the school year, not speaking any language (not sure if from trauma or educational neglect or both). One group of siblings even created their own language that only they understood but spoke no other language a couple years ago.  It is also common for homeless children to have never been in school before the age of 7 or by middle school. The cost of living in Sacramento is lower than more of the bigger cities like L.A. or San Francisco, but it is still a lot higher than the cost of living in my hometown, St. Louis. For example, rent for one-room apartments are about $1,000 or more a month, and there are many well-off people we know here who live with several people in a small space in order to afford rent. Likewise, apartment applications cost money, which the homeless cannot afford, and even motel costs add up quickly. The homelessness here is largely attributed to the landlord's refusal to rent to anyone who cannot readily set aside 1/4 of their income for rent.

                 Our first day of school was this week, and I'm already pretty smitten! I have so far played with kids on the playground, drawn several chalk animals, packed bags for families, and sat in on two intakes. As expected, the children are deeply traumatized but fiercely resilient at the same time. Disassociating in the children is a huge problem for the teachers due to the difficulty it takes to bring a child out of that state while other children are nearby.        Some drama that occurred on the first day: Towards the end of the day, the fish bowl was broken, and the fish (formerly named 'Johnson' and now renamed 'Superdog' by the children) fell out of the bowl and onto the floor, where he laid for several minutes out of water. Thankfully, he was rescued by the homeroom teacher when she returned. For now, he is inhabiting a mason jar with some of his pebbles from before. Something that has been surprisingly fun is my job of making the backpacks for the newly enrolled children. Each backpack is chosen with care (only the highest quality of all the donations), and I strived to choose backpacks matching the personalities of their future owners based off my brief interactions with the children. Inside every backpack is a:

                 -journal

                 -binder

                 -highlighters

                 -crayons

                 -markers

                 -loose-leaf

                 -colored pencils

                 -ruler

                 -pens

                 -pencils

                 -pencil sharpener

                 -erasers

                 -shampoo

                 -conditioner

                 -tissues

                 -soap

                 -deodorant

                 -hand sanitizer

                 -toothbrush and toothpaste

                 -package of clean underwear

                 -package of clean socks

                 Although a lot of the staff have commented on how they feel sorry that I have to pack all these backpacks in a tiny room, I'm actually having a lot of fun with it. I put on my Latin dancing music, and I move around quickly and organize and pack the bags. I nearly missed my break on the second day because I was so concentrated on making backpacks. Part of the fun of making the backpacks is imagining the looks on the kids' faces when they see how I color-coordinated their supplies or included a toy. I supervised recess and played soccer with one little boy, and I chatted with the kids about whether Cartoon Network or Disney Channel was better while they waited to be picked up. One of the teachers also gave me and my housemate some iced coffees one morning as a thanks for helping him clean his room. On the morning of school starting, we also all received some flowers from the administration. Something funny that happened too is that a nurse asked me what grade I was in, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head when I told her I had just finished my master’s degree. Something I have been looking forward to is getting free bagels and cream on Friday's with my co-workers.

                 One of the drawbacks of serving at this placement is the walk to and from there. The walk to the school includes walking by fresh urine, feces, and general human waste. I have become quite a pro at breathing out of my mouth. I'm also not a huge fan of being hassled by drunk or otherwise intoxicated men. Additionally, the girl who had my position last year got lice from the children, so I'll be careful to keep my hair braided and away from contact.

                 On one weekday night, we went to an open-mic performance at a coffee shop, called Speak Out Sacramento. It occurs twice a month, and it is run by one of the bosses of one of my housemate's sites. I enjoyed sitting and listening to poems, songs, and experimental narrations even though I didn't have money for a beer or coffee. Something hilarious that I learned lately was that one of the founders of Loaves and Fishes, Chris Delaney, hosted a movie night at her house for the previous Jesuit volunteers. One movie night, they ended up watching a pretty explicit movie, and the volunteers were visibly nervous at watching this in the presence of someone so well-respected by the service community. Seeing this, Chris (a very tiny and old woman) laughed at them and asked them if this was really their first time seeing these things. Any time I see her handing out lemonade at lunch, she always comments on how I'm smiling whenever she sees me, and I always tell her, "What's there not to smile about?"

P.S. When living simply, always get super glue! It's very helpful for any broken item, and I've already glued two pairs of shoes back together.  :)

XOXO

MK

[thegloober]

Every Car Seat That Has Been Recalled In The Last Two Years

On average, more than 100 kids toys and baby products are recalled each year due to defect. And even though most recalls are voluntary, companies are rarely inclined to shout their foibles from the mountaintop. As a result, few parents ever hear about them. In fact, only 30 percent of recalled products ever make their way back to the manufacturer. Instead, they are handed down to other new parents, find their way into consignment shops, or end up on Goodwill shelves where they can potentially harm other children.

Car seats are a little different. Considering how many kids can be injured or killed by a defective seat, they tend to make news quickly. And while six federal agencies including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission contribute to Recalls.gov, an online hub that “alerts the American people to unsafe, hazardous or defective products,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains an entirely separate database, Safecar.gov, to catalog every car and booster seat recall and safety issue.

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In the last two years, there were nine reported recalls affecting 934,496 individual car seats. Thankfully, zero children were injured. Defects ranged from chest clips that could become choking hazards to defective webbing that may not hold up in an accident. All were easily fixed with free repair kits sent by the manufacturer. However, unless you sent in your registration card when you bought the seat, the onus is on you as the parent to contact them for parts. Hence, the list below.

One final note: Just because your specific car seat isn’t listed doesn’t mean it hasn’t had a problem over the last 10 years. To be safe, search the NHTSA database by manufacturer now.

Harmony Big Boost Deluxe Booster

Issue: Seat Belt Can Cause Excessive Force And Injury Number Recalled: 148,165 Recall Date: April 17, 2018 Action to Take: As of August 21, 2018, a remedy was still being developed; contact company for updates. Contact: harmonyjuvenile.com, 877-306-1001 In legalese, Harmony Big Boost Deluxe booster seats produced between November 1, 2015 and June 24, 2017 fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213, “Child Restraint Systems.” In real life, the way the car’s seat belt is positioned in the booster, it can put excessive force on, and cause injury to, a child’s chest during an accident. Full Recall Details

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4moms Self-Installing Car Seat

Issue: Carrier Does Not Properly Attach to the Base Number Recalled: 1,622 Recall Date: January 10, 2017 Action to Take: Contact for Replacement Carrier Contact: 4moms.com/recalls, 888-614-6667 Seats manufactured between July 1, 2016 and October 31, 2016 (model number 1032) may not securely attach to the base due to faulty coupling hooks. As a result, the carrier can detach in a crash. You can still use the seat while you wait for a free replacement carrier, but 4moms recommends manually confirming it’s locked into the base by lifting up on the handle before every ride. Full Recall Details

Baby Trend Hybrid LX 3-in-1 Centennial Booster Seat

Issue: Faulty Center Adjusters May Detach Number Recalled: 34 Recall Date: February 13, 2017 Action to Take: Contact for Replacement or Full Refund Contact: babytrend.com/safety_notices.html, 800-328-7363 This recall of Hybrid LX 3-in-1 Centennial and Kiwi booster seats (model numbers FB48417 and FB58181) is small ⏤ it only affects 34 seats that were manufactured on two specific days (July 23, 2016 and July 14, 2016) and sold at Walmart. In short, the center adjuster may break if your child weighs more than 40 pounds. There have been zero injuries reported and Baby Trend will make sure you get a replacement if you contact customer service. Full Recall Details

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Graco My Ride 65

Issue: Defective Webbing Can Break Number Recalled: 25,494 Recall Date: May 16, 2017 Action to Take: Contact for Repair Kit and Replacement Parts Contact: gracobaby.com, 800-345-4109 According to the official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report, Graco’s MyRide 65 car seat features defective webbing that could break in the case of a collision. The current recall affects 25,494 seats produced between May 16, 2014 through August 1, 2014 with model numbers 1871689, 1908152, 1813074, 1872691, 1853478, 1877535, 1813015, and 1794334. Owners of this product are asked to contact Graco for a repair kit and replacement parts, although Graco notes that the seats are safe to use in the meantime. Full Recall Details

Combi Shuttle Travel System

Issue: Car Seats Can Disengage From Stroller Frame Number Recalled: 1,000 Recall Date: May 4, 2017 Action to Take: Contact for Repair Kit Contact: Combiusa.com/, 844-332-6730 This recall affects both the Combi Shuttle car seat and stroller, model number 6100027 or 6100100, in titanium and red chili colors. Individually, both products are safe but should not be used together, as the seat can disengage from the stroller. A repair kit consisting of straps to secure the car seat to the stroller is available free of charge. Full Recall Details

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B-Safe 35 Rear-Facing Infant Car Seat

Issue: Broken Chest Clip Can Be A Choking Hazard Number Recalled: 207,000 Recall Date: June 21, 2017 Action to Take: Contact for Repair Kit Contact: bsafe35clip.com, 833-474-7016 While no choking injuries have been reported, the center tab on the chest clip of the B-Safe 35, B-Safe 35 Elite, and BOB B-Safe 35 can pose a choking hazard if broken. The recall affects too many model numbers to list ⏤ all manufactured between November 1, 2015 and May 31, 2017 ⏤ and you can check yours here. Britax says the seats are safe to use while awaiting a repair kit but parents should inspect the center clip for breakage. Full Recall Details

Diono Convertible and Booster Car Seats

Issue: When Front-Facing, May Not Provide Adequate Protection Number Recalled: 520,000 Recall Date: November 22, 2017 Action to Take: Contact for Repair Kit Contact: diono.com, 855-215-4951 When installed using just the lap belt (and no top tether), over 500,000 Diono car seats ⏤ including the Radian R100, Radian R120, Radian RXT, Olympia, Pacifica, and Rainier models ⏤ may cause chest injuries to forward-facing kids weighing over 65 pounds in the event of a crash. A lot of conditions there, for sure, but the main takeaways are the same. One, always secure the seat’s top tether. Two, contact Diono for a free repair kit that includes an energy absorbing pad and new chest clip. Full Recall Details

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Evenflo Evolve 3-in-1 Combination Booster Seats

Issue: Children Can Access Button That Tightens Harness Number Recalled: 29,742 Recall Date: September 28, 2016 Action to Take: Contact for Repair Kit Contact: safety.evenflo.com, 800-233-5921 The button that loosens the harness straps on two models of the Evenflo Evolve (34411700 and 34411741) ⏤ which were manufactured between February 26, 2015, and February 9, 2016 ⏤ is just not far enough out of the reach of a child’s curious hands. As such, industrious kids can loosen the harness and climb out without mom or dad realizing it. Customers can call Evenflo for a free repair kit that includes a hack-proof button. Full Recall Details

Baby Jogger City GO Infant Car Seats/Mini Infant/Vue Lite Infant Car Seats

Issue: Missing Information or Labels Number Recalled: 1,589 Recall Date: September 27, 2016 Action to Take: Contact for Replacement Contact: babyjogger.com, 800-241-1848 There’s actually nothing wrong with the 1,500 Baby Jogger seats made between November 3, 2014, and April 30, 2015. The issue is with the labels, instruction manuals, and registration cards, all of which have either missing information, are the wrong size, or provide directions in the incorrect order. According to the NHTSA, this “affects the consumer’s understanding of the proper use of the infant car seat, increasing the risk of injury to the child in the event of a crash.” Full Recall Details

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Source: https://bloghyped.com/every-car-seat-that-has-been-recalled-in-the-last-two-years/

[stevejehovahbible]

Genesis 17

1  And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2  And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3  And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4  As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. He’s 99 now, and God is STILL harassing him on a regular basis with this repetitious “we have a contract!” nonsense. I’m gonna guess that He’s gonna follow the blueprint laid out in previous chapters. So lets take a wild guess and  say that God’s gonna say something about: * Making Abram a great nation * Exceeding seed or numerous important descendants or whatever * Restating that this is a contract for “all generations” that follow * “I’m gonna be their God, and they will be my people”, and possibly * Living on and possessing the land, which is supper important for some reason. Lets find out... 5  Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. So God is renaming people now? That’s new at least. You’d think if there was any credibility to the whole “God is in charge of EVERYTHING” line of crap that He wouldn’t need to rework things. I mean, it’s kind of like bragging that you're a master carpenter who can build things perfectly, but then you have to constantly touch up and adjust everything you make. If you’re so damn good, you should have made it right the FIRST time. But, according to the idiots, God made it perfect AND His upgrades are perfect. They can't wrap their heads around the fact that this is a contradiction. But really, who is surprised by that? The name change in itself is hilarious. He goes from “Exalted Father” (Abram) to “Father Of Multitudes” (Abraham) continuing the bible’s disturbing habit of naming people and things for their characteristics. Not something that generally happens in history, but you will find it ALL THE TIME in fiction.       6  And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. Called it. We’ve heard this before. Is God repeating it because he figures Abram’s ancient ass has dementia?  7  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8  And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9  And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. *ding* *ding* *ding* Are you gonna actually say anything new here God? This is all old news. Not to mention that it’s a lie. If I promise to give you a car, and say that all your children after you will also get a car, then it’s a lie if I fail to deliver a car to HUGE groups of your descendants. This is just another example of uneducated, primitive cultures putting words into the mouth of a supreme Deity that are believed even though all of the available evidence shows them to be human invention.    10  This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11  And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. Wait... What?!? Ok. Let’s go back to the familiar stuff. I’m sorry for complaining. Let’s stick to the part BEFORE you decided to endorse genital mutilation. If you want to make that particular covenant with someone, there’s a guy named Albert Fish that’s gonna be born in 1870. He’d totally be on board with your sick penis obsession.   12  And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13  He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. Two things... Firstly, you’re advocating child abuse. That’s what this is. You’re mutilating the genitals of fucking babies. You can’t give a baby tattoos, or piercings, or enter them into legally binding contracts BECAUSE THEY’RE FUCKING INFANTS. They can’t give consent. So this idiocy fails on multiple levels. I mean, if you don’t accept the lunacy of the religion, it’s just straight up abuse. But even if you accept all the nonsense inherent in the premise, IT STILL FAILS! It’s not their decision, so the symbolic act is rendered meaningless. Secondly, tell me again that God doesn’t endorse slavery you imbecilic apologist assholes. I’m sure there’s a reason why God says something about purchasing human beings TWICE, and doesn’t think to say anything against it. Seriously, you people make me sick.      14  And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. Aaaaallllrighty then. Lets look at this. God is LITERALLY saying that anyone who doesn’t chop off part of his dick should be ostracized from the community as a whole and treated like a pariah. And what is the crime for which they should be treated this way? Rape? Murder? Owning slaves? Nope. It’s not conforming to the group and failing to engage in a symbolic gesture. Because those are God’s priorities. Given the severity of God’s decree, it would be beneficial for parents to force their children into observing this ritual before they’re old enough to give consent or understand the implications of what’s happening to them. Because it’s better to have  your son conform to the actions of an entire group of people observing a symbolic ritual before he’s old enough to understand it, than to have him ostracized and cast out from the group. Because that makes sense, right? Actually, it doesn’t. At all. Unless, of course, your goal is to psychologically manipulate these people and link their personal identity to that of a group before they’re old enough to think clearly. Because this shit has so much in common with how cults work to subtly program and brainwash their followers that it’s goddamn terrifying.             15  And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. Another new name. Because as soon as God tries something once and likes how it turns out, He’s got to do it again. And again. And again. Please also remember that another hallmark of cults is giving practitioners new names that symbolically link them to the cult and their identity within the cult structure. Nice of God to follow the blueprint so closely.    16  And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. *ding* again! Doesn't God remind you of that junkie friend you have who keeps promising to get you the $20 you lent him 7 years ago? Every time you see him, he lets you know that he hasn’t forgot about about it, and he’s gonna get you that money just as soon as he can clear his head enough to remember what day of the week it is... Also, God is totally ok with blessing this incestuous relationship. Just because. Don’t think about it.   17  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? Remember that historical account that told us about Lincoln’s thoughts when arriving at Ford’s Theater? Or the one about what George Washington was thinking while crossing the Delaware? Me neither. Because history doesn’t record the thoughts, feelings, or internal monologue of the characters it’s describing. Only fiction does that. Regardless, Abraham again displays his ability to logic, which makes him a bad believer. Silly Abraham, facts are for sacrilegious, blasphemous, heretic heathens.       18  And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! So, even in the thrall of dementia, crazy old Abraham still recognizes that God is  making about as much sense as Donald Trump on bath salts. So he tries to give Him a way out by suggesting that his lovechild with that whiny bitch Hagar might be the heir God is talking about.   19  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. Nope. God says that he is definitely going to have a son at the ripe old age of 100. For serious. And remember, this covenant is eternal. Except that some people who want to update it try to use their linguistic bible magic hocus-pocus to make “eternal” mean “how their culture worked back then.” We see evidence, over and over again, of Old Testament laws being very serious to God. He constantly affirms things in stark black and white, reminding us that they’re endless. It’s just that, if modern day Christians followed these laws, they’d be looked at (rightly) as monsters, and many of them would end up in jail. Unless they employed the same tactics they currently use when one of their members does something abhorrent, and just sweep it under the rug and hide the evidence. Which they probably would. But that would be a lot of work. So they just adjust the text to make it say what they want it to say, and transform from Westboro Baptist Church into Atheists that go to a special building one day a week and pretend they believe in a sky wizard that they totally ignore or redraft whenever it’s convenient. At least have the balls to stand behind your abhorrent, illogical bullshit, you spineless hypocrites.           20  And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21  But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. So God is comfortable dictating and manipulating the future. He outright tells Abraham what to name his son (”he laughs”... you know... because Abraham laughed when God told him about it. Just because) but again, can’t be bothered to intervene in anything that actually matters. He’s very focused on the Soap Opera aspects of reality. What names people have, who’s fucking who, where they live, how many kids they have... but He loses interest when it comes to sickness, poverty, racism, sexism, intolerance, violence, or anything substantial. God gets involved with pointless fluff, picks out his favorites, and consistently helps out those who already have the upper hand. Stellar example you’re setting there big guy.     22  And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. 23  And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. In ONE DAY God shows up and talks to Abraham, tells him all this crazy nonsense, and prompts him to grab a knife and cut the foerskin off EVERYONE in his house. All the males of his 300+ slaves.   24  And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25  And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Not surprisingly, the Bible has ANOTHER issue with the timeline for the bullcrap it’s making up. It says Ishmael is 13 here, but in the story that’s coming up in Genesis 21, it sounds like he’s still a YOUNG child. Like infant young. So he must have temporary Benjamin Button Disease. 26  In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27  And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him. You know that thing we literally just told you a verse ago? Yeah, we figure you must need to have it repeated because you're too stupid to get it the first time. So here it is again.