I've decided to do a little spring cleaning (in the autumn?) around here. I'd like to delete some old posts to conserve space, being the organizational freak that I am. So here's where you'll find select icons by categories. I'll be deleting older entries so this will be the one place to see the old stuff. Some I will not be saving at all because they're old and I've improved since they were posted.


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On My Chem's website they have announced a new show in Australia with the Get Up Kids. Tickets go on sale November 20th. The show's actual date is Thursday February 25th, 2010.

http://www.mychemicalromance.com/
http://www.bigtopsydney.com/My_Chemical_Romance.html
http://premier.ticketek.com.au/Default.aspx

GUYZ, doula classes are this weekend. I no longer want to go to them. Mostly this is because I'm nervous about going to this place full of these people I don't know, all by myself, but also because I'm not confident in my abilities to do well at anything. Another part of it is that the classes are in Ann Arbor, early in the morning, and I'm like, UGH. DRIVING FOR DAYZ AT 7AM TO DO SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW IF I CARE ABOUT THAT MUCH ANYMORE. Here is the thing about me: I always do this. I ALWAYS DO THIS. I'll have an opportunity to do something, and then I won't do it, because I'm a tremendous weenie. I have been sabotaging myself in this way since the beginning of time, ask anyone who's had to paperclip me through a possible lifetime event. So now I have to think about if I want to continue being a weenie for the rest of my life, or if I want to actually DO SOMETHING. Being a weenie is the beautiful and much more appealing option, especially since doula classes of all things are not something I absolutely must do or else, but Geez Louise already. Be an adult, already. Lady GaGa, give me strenf.

I have been reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay for a few days now. Bridgie recommended that I read it a long time ago, and I got about 50 pages into it before I fell into some sort of pit of extremely apathetic depression, and I gave it up. Last week I went through some emotional thangs (I cried a lot and cleaned my room for the first time in 18 months), and I was like, I'm gonna read this book! It is a very good book, and I'm glad I'm reading it. It makes me feel, perhaps creepily, like I'm still talking to Bridgie in a way. Were I a comic book nerd, I imagine I would've been jerking off and crying during the entire story. I have about 100 pages left, but I'm dying to google things about it. LOVE U, GAY SAMMY CLAY.

From The Nation:

None of the bills emerging from the House and Senate require insurers to cover all the elements of a standard gynecological "well visit," leaving essential care such as pelvic exams, domestic violence screening, counseling about sexually transmitted diseases, and, perhaps most startlingly, the provision of birth control off the list of basic benefits all insurers must cover. Nor are these services protected from "cost sharing," which means that, depending on what's in the bill that emerges from the Senate, and, later, the contents of a final bill, women could wind up having to pay for some of these services out of their own pockets. So far, mammograms and Pap tests are covered in every version of the legislation.

Got that? The Pap test itself will be covered - but not the visit to the gynecologist to get it.

Granted, Congress can't--and shouldn't--get into the business of spelling out every possible cause for a trip to the doctor. No one wants the process to collapse under a mountain of requests from special interest groups à la the Clinton mess in 1993. But women, half of all adult patients, are not a special interest group. And since both the House and Senate bills include lists of specific services that must be covered by health insurance companies and be provided without asking patients for additional money, it's hard to understand why all the services provided in a basic well-woman visit to the gynecologist isn't on them along with maternity care, newborn care, pediatric dental and vision services, and substance use disorder services.

Uh, hello? Remember? Icky parts!

The fault for the initial omission can be laid at the feet of Democrats, who shied away from the issue, not wanting to invite controversy, according to women's health advocates who tried unsuccessfully to get women's preventive health care included in the basic benefits package. Some of the concern had to do with cost. Adding any required service to the basic benefits package would mean the Congressional Budget Office would give the bill a higher score, or price tag, leaving it more vulnerable to attack by budget hawks. But another part of the problem clearly stems from the fact that women's bodies have become political lightning rods, even when abortion is not the issue.
Consider what happened when the subject of women's preventive healthcare services came up in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) in July, after the minimum benefits package had already been determined. Because some essential care for women wasn't included in the list, HELP committee member Senator Barbara Mikulski proposed an amendment that would require the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to stipulate that basic women's health services would be covered. The language said nothing about abortion, referring only to "preventive care and screenings."
Yet the voting on the amendment went exactly along pro- and anti-choice lines. The amendment passed by just one vote, with all the committee's Republicans as well as Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey, an anti-abortion Democrat, voting against it. The committee's discussion of the amendment was dominated by Republicans' worry about the possibility of government money winding up in the hands of Planned Parenthood. Since there is no similar language included in the just-released House bill, the only hope for requiring full coverage for these essential services now lies with the Senate.MORE

And of course, transpeople get hit with more on top of plenty:

Story here:

The federal government would be banned from funding sex change operations and other services for transgender individuals if social conservative activists get their way.
There’s no sponsor yet for an amendment to the health care overhaul – and it may remain in the dustbin of unrealized wedge issues – but culture warriors are shopping the proposal to Republican senators.
The language is written: “None of the funds authorized or appropriated under this act (or an amendment made by this Act) shall be used to cover any part or portion of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of” any sex or gender reassignment procedure, surgery related to such a sex change, hormone therapy for a sex change or pre- and post-operation treatments for a sex change.
A senior aide to a Republican senator said that a public insurance plan could easily end up covering sex-change procedures if that’s not specifically banned in the bill.

I pay TAXES. Why the HELL am I paying for fucking Viagra when I can't get my fucking visit to the gynecologist covered?!@!?!?!?!?!?



Its past time women groups restarted momentum on the Equal Rights Amendment. This shit is past ridic.

CDC now says 4,000 swine flu deaths in US

ATLANTA – Federal health officials now say that 4,000 or more Americans likely have died from swine flu — about four times the estimate they've been using.

The new, higher figure was first reported by The New York Times. It includes deaths caused by complications related to swine flu, including pneumonia and bacterial infections. Until now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had conservatively put the U.S. swine flu death count at more than 1,000. Officials said this week they're working on an even more accurate calculation.

The CDC says "many millions" of Americans have caught the pandemic flu virus since it first appeared in April.

On World News they talked about this. It is not that the death toll is higher. It is that they adding death by complications due to the flu to the list.

Also it seems the flu is killing more people by blood clots and shutting down mulitple organs such as kindeys, causing strokes and heart attacks as well. Nightline is doing a short report on it right now.

H1N1 Cases: Healthy to Death's Door in One Week
In 1 Percent of Swine Flu Cases, Doctors Say Virus Attacks Lungs So Viciously That Other Organs Can Fail
By CHRIS BURY and TALESHA REYNOLDS
Nov. 11, 2009

On one floor of the University Hospital Case Medical Center in Cleveland, the H1N1 virus is showing just how random, powerful and destructive it can be, even for healthy adults in the prime of their lives.

Walter Savitts, 44, depends on a machine for every breath. His wife, Margaret, is constantly at his side. Nearly three weeks ago, he came down with what seemed an ordinary case of the flu.
( cut )

Republicans concerned with ascent of young Florida candidate

A brash, young political newcomer is causing a fuss in GOP circles in the race against Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.).

And what else would you expect in a district that has produced the most colorful member of Congress?

Armando Gutierrez has made a name for himself as a 28-year-old with a supremely ambitious campaign that features an aggressive endorsement-seeking effort.

The businessman has used his family ties and connections to garner an impressive list of endorsements from elected and party officials, including Reps. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.). And, so far, he is the only major candidate to challenge the top-targeted Grayson.

But GOP operatives in Washington and the district say he is running a destructive primary campaign, and national and local leaders are doing just about anything they can to avoid having him as their nominee.

“He’s offending a lot of people,” said attorney Will McBride, who opted out of the race last week. “He’s rubbing people the wrong way. He needs to be a little more professional in his approach to reaching out to local leaders in our party.”

Numerous others confirmed the widespread bristling at Gutierrez’s early maneuvers.
( Read more )

Count how many times she tells Larry his question is inappropriate.

source

eta: There's a longer clip where she explains part of the reason she almost walked off was because she didn't want to take questions from callers. She explains this around 2:58 of the clip.

6 Doctor Who
3 Billie Piper
4 Merlin
6 The Mentalist
5 Buffyverse (1 Eliza Dushku)
3 Roswell
1 STXI



HERE at ruby_ribbons

It's Convention time again this weekend in Chicago. You can check up on the guest list and their schedule here on the Creation site.

The Twitter hashtag for the Con is #chicon. To follow this you simply enter #chicon in the search box on your Twitter page or click here. You can add #chicon anywhere in your tweet and it will show up in this stream.

Reports, pics, vids and tweets of note will be added to the Chicago Con page on the Sueprnatural Wiki. Please feel free to add links to your own reports or any stuff you find.

The Wiki page also contains the Twitter addresses of guests who will be at the Con and might Tweet (yes Misha I'm looking at you!).

Do remember that while Twitter is instantaneous, it still takes time for fans to upload stuff, esp as many will be travelling home on Sunday after the J2 panel. I am sure some dedicated and generous fans will get stuff up quickly, but I'd expect the bulk of pics and videos to appear from Monday onwards.

Just keep checking the Super Wiki!

9 pm on FOX

Hi guys,
I'm going to see Cobra tomorrow night. I wanted to buy some merch, but I'm not sure how much to bring.  What are some general prices for the stuff they have on tour right now? Is it a lot of the same stuff that's for sale on their FBR site?
Thanks.

Another V Entry:


http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e375/desperatepics/Wheeeee/ericajack01b-icequeen3101.png

20 Desmond icons for lost20in20



more HERE at exclu_silly