Published in The Illusion of Choice·5 days agoMember-onlyMaking Money Off of…Disney’s Dress Code?Donald Duck is not entirely amused. Disney has a dress code and they will force people to buy expensive shirts and the like, or turn you away. Which has resulted in the existence of a company that will no kidding help you with the dress code. It’s called Once Upon…Dress Code1 min read
6 days agoMember-onlyThe Weirdest Hotel Bathrooms I Have EncounteredIn most chain hotels in the U.S. hotel bathrooms come in two kinds: With the sink in the room or with the sink in the bathroom. They also often don’t lock. (Yes, this has been an issue. I do sometimes share rooms with people other than my husband). But in…Travel3 min read
Aug 10Member-onlyBe Careful In Storms — Lightning is Out ThereA few days ago three people were killed and four critically hurt in a lightning strike in Lafayette Square. This kind of multiple fatality is rare, but it is almost always caused by the same thing. Kids, never shelter from lightning under a lone tree. If the tree is the…Lightning3 min read
Aug 9Member-onlyWe Need Paid Sick Time — and MoreMonkeypox can keep you sick (and contagious) for two to four weeks. Very few people in the U.S. can isolate that long. (The CDC recommends wearing a mask and full body clothing if you must leave the house and “avoiding public transportation.” …Politics4 min read
Published in Views of Other Planes·Aug 8Member-onlyHope on CatNet — Naomi Kritzer’s CatNet BooksNaomi Kritzer’s wonderful YA books start with the premise of CheshireCat. (Disclaimer, copies received as part of the Hugo voters packet). CheshireCat is, as far as they know, the world’s first truly sentient AI. And they want two things: Cat pictures. To make people happy. Their mechanism for achieving #2…Science Fiction3 min read
Published in The Illusion of Choice·Aug 5Member-onlyCould the Supreme Court Weigh In on School Dress Codes?At issue, the dress code at Roger Bacon Academy in Leland, North Carolina. This is a charter school, meaning that it receives funds but is independently run. Republicans love charter schools, seeing them as ways to give parents more choice. …Dress Cod4 min read
Aug 4Member-onlyNo, Total Abortion Bans Do not Turn Women into Broodmares…no breeder would treat broodmares like that. Some of the abortion bans being put forward in red states allow abortion only in the case of a full blown medical emergency. You have to be actually dying. People are saying this is treating women like broodmares. I’d like to set the…Abortion5 min read
Published in Views of Other Planes·Aug 3Member-onlyThe Dark Answer to Harry Potter — the First Two Books in Naomi Novik’s The Scholomance TrilogyAt one point a lot of us were waiting for our Hogwarts letter. Then J.K. Rowling turned out to be a transphobic asshole and some of us tore them up (My Ravenclaw pin is now hiding in a drawer). Naomi Novik was almost certainly waiting for hers, because she was…Fantasy5 min read
Published in Views of Other Planes·Aug 2Member-onlyReview: Swordheart by T. KingfisherA romance between a woman and a magic sword is something I should absolutely be there for (it’s a long story, but…) Unfortunately, I found Swordheart a little disconcerting. It also wasn’t quite as original as some of Kingfisher’s other work. …Hugo Awards3 min read
Published in Views of Other Planes·Aug 1Member-only“There’s a Black Woman on Television — and She Ain’t No Maid” — the Life and Inspiration of Nichelle NicholsThe headlines mostly say the same thing. We have lost the original Uhura (the character was recently recast and is now played by two wonderful actors — Zoe Saldana in the Kelvin Timeline movies and Celia Rose Gooding in Strange New Worlds). The focus is on that one role from…Nichelle Nichols4 min read