growsomethinggood ()

Here’s my favorite gargoyle

Look, folks in the US are extremely on edge about this election (that’s both currently happening through early voting and the last day possible within 2 weeks), and in particular, foreign interference/propaganda. There’s a lot of crap we’re getting from every angle under the sun trying to get “the right people” to vote and “the wrong people” to stay at home, depending on the political inclination. It’s exhausting and we’re having a bad time. We know shit sucks here and we are trying our hardest to not descend further into fascism with a guy who literally admires Hitler. If we get some lightly progressive policies out of it, that’s great. By pushing some “both parties suck” propaganda in this eleventh hour, everyone is going to dog pile you because we’re sick of this so much.

Bruh you’re not even US American, get outta here with this defeatist crap. Don’t you have your own right wing surge to fight in Germany?

If you get denied for coverage for something you know is in your plan always ask for the name and credentials of whoever made the denial! If they are not an MD they are not supposed to make that call as that can be interpreted as practicing medicine (determining if someone gets treatment or not) without a license. Often insurance companies will back down if you assert that you need a medical professional to review the denial /your appeal of the denial. (YMMV/IANAL)

Meanwhile, everyone on tumblr is relieved that Matt has something to distract him from harassing trans women for existing

Are we talking gross or net income as the baseline? Before taxes, $7k a month is still under $100k annually.

Bird is the word irritates me in ways I cannot describe

Not that hot a take if you look up the original lyrics though

Even ranked choice voting couldn’t save NYC from picking the most bonkers mayors you can imagine

I’d hesitate to call it a replacement but it is very fun! Top of the Stardew-likes imo

Just curious, but why is your description of an entirely different incident than the headline?

[Paul Robalino voice] It wouldn’t be a problem because it would feel really good, actually

Hello! Congrats on your plans for cat adoption! Here’s a few pieces of advice I have from experience:

1. Kittens are a lot of work. They’re really cute! But they are babies and they act like it. You have to teach them a lot of things about the world, and how to interact with people/other animals/things. And often most places will only adopt out kittens in pairs, since they benefit from having a buddy growing up. Since kittens are in high demand, they often have a bigger adoption fee, if that matters to you. Adult cats between 2-10 years are probably ideal for most new cat owners as they are well established adults that won’t need a lot of training for the most part (but definitely know as much of your cat’s history when adopting if you can!).

2. Cat breeds aren’t like dog breeds, by and large. They are mostly common cats of different colors down at the animal shelter, and cat owners will swear up and down that cat colors have personalities (torties are sassy! Orange cats are dumb but sweet!) but it’s largely just the individual cat’s personality. The important things for you are probably going to be fur length (long hair and hairless cats require a lot more maintenance or it’ll effect their health) and how well you get along with the cat individually. The one thing to note is do not adopt a bengal cat as a beginner! They are hybrids with wild cats and act like it! And also I would advise against smooshed nose cats/floppy ear cats/tail-less cats/short legged “dwarf” cats, as they have some pretty bad health issues from those genetic differences.

3. Cats in the shelter are stressed and probably not going to act exactly the same way when you take them home. If they’re very friendly, they could be more standoffish, or vice versa. You just gotta find the one that speaks to you! And be patient allowing them to adjust when you take them home. Give them a landing space with a litter box, water, and maybe a little food in opposite corners, and give them some hours to get used to the sounds and smells of their new place. Depending on how much space you have, it’ll be between a day and a week for a cat to get settled.

4. Get the very basics to start and be ready to get more stuff later. A basic litter box, scoop, and a cheap carrier will do it before you adopt. Use your own dishes for water and food before you go buying anything for the cat, you don’t know right away what needs they’ll have. The shelter should recommend you food, get small quantities (not bulk) until you’ve had your first vet check up in case that changes. My cat is spoiled with a much bigger litter box than our first pick, a water fountain, an automatic feeder, wet food on a plate (most cats like flat surfaces instead of bowls for food), and so many toys he doesn’t like anymore!

5. Have fun! Cats are great. If you learn their body language and respect their autonomy, they’ll love you so much for it.

If you’re particularly clever, you might see something before the event that makes you go, huh, that seems weird, I wonder why that is. And then the event happens and you’re like, ohh, it was the event! It was telling me the whole time!

She’s a Stan Shunpike- radicalized offscreen, leaving everyone else confused

*She. Please don’t misgender her, it plays right into these transphobes’ hands of questioning her gender.

Yeah, but are they paying any of their own money to take care of those kids for two decades?

Yes. Taxes. People without kids still pay taxes for things like education, meal programs, etc. People with kids get a tax break to compensate for the cost of raising kids. You’re asking for something already built into how we support parents and children in America.

Oh, I completely understand you’re correct here, I’m just, so, so tired of fighting to keep all the sociopolitical gains of the past 10-50 years, y’know? I know they have a lot going on, it just feels shitty considering the rest of the political climate.

Sigh, ACLU, is this really that high a priority in the list of rights we need to fight for right now? Really?

Also, am I missing something, or wouldn’t these arguments fall apart under the lens of slander? If you make a sufficiently convincing AI replica that is indistinguishable from reality of someone’s face and/or voice, and use it to say untrue things about them, how is that speech materially different from directly saying “So-and-so said x” when they didn’t? Or worse, making videos of them doing something terrible, or out of character, or even mundane? If that is speech sufficient to be potentially covered by the first amendment, it is slander imo. Even parody has to be somewhat distinct from reality to not be slander/libel, why would this be different?

I’m not seeing fried chicken on that article though, just barbecue (which could be chicken or not, but wouldn’t be fried). Judging by the company response, someone over there is definitely being an asshole, even if there are elements that are traditional.