From a comment elsewhere -- pet integration

Our place is too small for long integration projects, so we can only take in animals that can adapt relatively quickly. Luckily, all the current critters are so used to the comings and goings of other animals that they're pretty chill about it, and it generally hasn't taken too long to achieve full integration. We especially lucked out with these last three, though. Coming from a home of nine cats, moving in with six new ones -- everyone involved was used to large numbers of other animals, and it's gone shockingly smoothly. It was a day for Riley to adjust (he walked in and made himself at home), and it's been a few weeks for Spike and Lucy. Lucy's still a touch shy, but not in hiding or anything. I've already got pics of Spike sleeping curled up against our hound, Tarma. An occasional hiss, spit, swat here and there, but nothing beyond what normally happens. Amazing.

And some more...

Finishing up clearing out email now that I'm home:

Canon and Sheep Shit: Why We Fight.
I hate the Doctor Who canon like Dawkins hates God.

Like him, I'm convinced the target of my animus doesn't exist, but that doesn't stop me spending half my life writing about how dreadful it is. (from marnanel)

Road Kill: It's Fresh, It's Organic, It's Free -- Honestly, perfectly sensible. I'd have to get over some of my cultural food limitations, and it'd be important to know how fresh the animal was, and what communicable diseases could be an issue, but I would have to get over the "ick factor" for one of my other favorite protein production ideas too -- developing an american taste for bugs and grubs. I like lobster, and they're basically giant sea bugs. I bet I'd dig roasted insects of various sorts, too. (and in response to someone's comment about cannibalism in the original post: If I die, and you're starving, eat me with my blessings. Please save and tan the tats; my friends have plans for them.)

Will Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap Continue to Defy Selling Out to Corporate Culture? -- I hope so!!

Teen pregnancy and disease rates rose sharply during Bush years, agency finds

Mainstream Media Reinforces Unexamined Arguments Against Public Funding for Abortion

Open Thread: When Art and Ideals Collide -- an issue I struggle with a lot.

Yes. This. Dawkins, get off of my team!

On the importance of midwives

I mean, there is a lot of (IMHO) woman hating in the following group of words. The topic, porn, the statement: “Do I want to look at some plastic-surgery enhanced woman who doesn’t even look human being porked”, the subject, how women who perform in porn (or are in the sex industry at large) suffer from Stockholm Syndrome.

Now see, that just chaps my ass in all the wrong ways. I mean, a huge thing that you see coming from anti porn feminists is that they hate the porn because it dehumanizes and degrades the women in it. But see, I am not sure how someone saying those very women do not even look like human beings is anything but dehumanizing and degrading? -- Amen.

Zombiechocolate has important stuff to say about that state of the economy in Ohio, and what that's meaning to people on a day-to-day basis. I'm so incredibly lucky to be in one of the safest job positions I possibly could be. My housemates and friends are being hit right and left. I'm still being hit directly by the public service cuts, especially RTA. A big factor in our move location was not only "is this on a bus line?" but "is this on a bus line we can be sure won't be cut?"

The Complex Sexualities of Young Women -- I haven't finished this one yet, adding partially for my own reference.

10 Things You Need to Know to Live on the Streets

Why I'm not watching Dance Your Ass Off

A really good piece on finding a gyn provider after sexual abuse

Gay and straight: parallel poly worlds

Tuning into Crisis Pregnancy Websites

Obama says not funding abortions is "tradition"

Condom ads from the UK

Whew. All done. Bed now.

GIP!

My brother jajy1979 made me this icon. It took me a minute to look at it a a macro image and not a micro one (I was originally thinking cell structures of some sort). It's an aerial map of my childhood home, and the woods that were so important to me. Those dark spots are all ponds (Holly, MI is basically a marsh). All within walking distance of the house for an 8-year-old. I spent most of my time out in the woods trying to figure out how to talk to animals.

So, home today, dammit. House stuff's been causing insomnia, which has been triggering flare. Blah. Going to medicate myself try to go back to sleep soon. Can't sleep too deeply, though. Don't yet know when the title folks will want to come meet with me to sign the papers (would've been much easier from work, actually).

And a few links, as long as I'm posting:

Naughty steampunk comic

The Joy of Sex Toys: How Vibrators Stopped Being 'Shameful' Secrets -- haven't finished reading it, but I found this particularly interesting, if not altogether surprising: Female vibrator users were more likely to have had gynecological exams in the last year or to have performed breast self exams in the last month. Recent male users were more like to have performed a testicular self-exam and scored themselves higher in most of the five domains of sexual function (erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction and overall satisfaction).

Embryo Rights Laws Go Viral in Mexico