Vocabulary: Carcinization

Nov. 12th, 2025 10:12 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Carcinization is a form of convergent evolution in which non-crab crustaceans evolve a crab-like body plan. The term was introduced into evolutionary biology by Lancelot Alexander Borradaile, who described it in 1916 as "the many attempts of Nature to evolve a crab".

Crabs have evolved five separate times – why do the same forms keep appearing in nature?

... including at least one sexbot whose lower body is a mechanical battle crab. :D
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Chris Stein in Washington

President signs legislation to restart federal operations after House passes measure in 222-209 vote

The longest US government shutdown in history ended on Wednesday after more than 42 days, following the House of Representative’s passage of a bill negotiated by Republicans and a splinter group of Democrat-aligned senators.

The compromise sets the stage for government operations to return to normal through January, while leaving unresolved the issue of expiring tax credits for Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare health plans, which most Democrats demanded be extended in any deal to reopen the government.

Continue reading...

I am home now By The Way

Nov. 12th, 2025 09:18 pm
yuuago: (Iceland - Curious)
[personal profile] yuuago
Me, thinking about writing while working out: Haha, what if I wrote something super artsy and pretentious just to take the piss.

Me, still thinking about writing while showering off: But what if you did it earnestly, though? What if.

To be fair, the last few times I did something artsy and pretentious and earnest I was very pleased with the results.

Hmm.

Hmm.

What We Weading Wednesday

Nov. 12th, 2025 11:09 pm
white_aster: stacks of books (books)
[personal profile] white_aster

I totally fell off the wagon with these.  I have been reading, just...keep missing Wednesday somehow.  (I had to think really hard about whether it was Wednesday again).  Also I've been reading a lot of books that I just wasn't excited about (and some I DNFed or kind of wish I'd DNFed.)  But I am brought back by the need to talk about this awesome book I read:

Finder by Suzanne Palmer

Palmer also wrote The Secret Life of Bots, which I loved. This Finder series I originally passed over because I thought "a space repo man named Fergus Ferguson tries to steal back a spaceship in an old mining colony made of hollowed-out asteroids and various large tin cans" was going to be more absurd than I usually enjoy. Oh boy, I could NOT have been more wrong. 5-star book, A+ characterization and wonderful worldbuilding, totally.

The more I thought about what was working in this book, the more I was really, really impressed with how (despite Fergus' terrible name) this book took its characters so seriously.  Like...ALL the characters, from Fergus to the side characters to random folks Fergus met for a page or less.  Everyone had understandable goals and motivations which changed realistically as the plot unfolded and they reacted to events as much as Fergus did.  This led to very wonderfully ALIVE-feeling settings.  The asteroid colony and Mars both felt filled with peoples' hopes and dreams and tragedies.  Somehow this author made the politics of this collection of asteroids and tin cans feel messy and realistic and interesting.

I was also super impressed by how this author dealt with the really rather high amount of randomness in the plot.  Fergus is a thief.  He's doing a heist, scheming some schemes, and things go ass-up fairly early on.  He's realistically forced many, many times to make a bad plan, just because it'll make SOMETHING change and then he can reassess.  This could very easily have felt capricious and slapstick and unearned (a pet peeve of mine in some books), but it did NOT, because of the wonderful CHARACTERIZATION.  Fergus spent the whole book understandably stressed about everything, convinced that he was going to get himself and everyone he cared about killed.  He felt the GRAVITY of all this unplanned chaos, and passed that tension on to the reader, while moving forward anyway in the smartest way he could come up with (and he is SMART!  It's a whole plot point that he several times amazes people with his knowledge because the first thing he does is READ THE ENTIRETY OF THE ASTEROID INTERNET so he knows what's what.  A protagonist!  Actually looking shit up rather than winging it!  <3 <3!)  Yes, he was lucky, and yes, he had some help from many quarters, but it somehow all made sense and held together without feeling random.

Also, the science felt like it held.  There was a lot of dealing with zero- and low-G and crawling around on the outside of asteroids and habitats, and it felt realistic without being overwhelming.  Which was just icing on the great characterization and smart-plot cake.  

Also there was no extraneous romance, which is also a plus for me. 

I immediately needed to track down everything in this series, after reading this.

A++, do recommend.  


Didn't do much

Nov. 12th, 2025 10:43 pm
silver_chipmunk: (Default)
[personal profile] silver_chipmunk
I got up slightly after 10:00 and had breakfast and coffee. Then I put in a Shipt order, and also ordered clear recycling bags from Amazon cause I can't get them on Shipt,

I did a lot of puttering around online until my order came. I put it away, and puttered some more. I called [personal profile] mashfanficchick and we talked about plans for tomorrow, as well as other stuff.

I put up the rest of the Thanksgiving decorations, including the turkey lights, they look very nice.

I lay down and played solitaire for awhile. Then at 6:00 I came back out and puttered some more til 7:00 when I tried to Team the FWiB. There were technical difficulties, and he called me to see what was wrong, but we finally got through.

At 8:00 I went to my gaming on Discord, it worked pretty well tonight, oddly enough other people were having issues but not me. The game was a lot of fun.

We played til 10:00 when I fed the pets, and made one of the mushroom pasta bowls for my dinner.

Oh, the air mattress I ordered for when Middle Brother is here arrived.

Gratitude List:

1. The FWiB.

2. My gaming group.

3. Shipt.

4. The air mattress came.

5. The heat has finally come on a little.

6. My turkey lights.
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Chris Stein

President signs legislation to restart federal operations after House passes measure in 222-209 vote

The longest US government shutdown in history ended on Wednesday after more than 42 days, following the House of Representative’s passage of a bill negotiated by Republicans and a splinter group of Democrat-aligned senators.

The compromise sets the stage for government operations to return to normal through January, while leaving unresolved the issue of expiring tax credits for Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare health plans, which most Democrats demanded be extended in any deal to reopen the government.

Continue reading...
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Gabrielle Canon

Actor, 48, who revealed colorectal cancer diagnosis last year, to also auction memorabilia from Varsity Blues

Actor James Van Der Beek will once again be selling collector’s items from some of his beloved films and TV shows, including Dawson’s Creek, to help pay for his treatment for colorectal cancer.

“I’ve been storing these treasures for years, waiting for the right time to do something with them, and with all of the recent unexpected twists and turns life has presented recently, it’s clear that the time is now,” Van Der Beek told People.

The collection, which includes an outfit he wore in the Dawson’s Creek pilot, and a hat featured in the 1999 film Varsity Blues, will be auctioned at Propstore’s annual Winter Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, which runs from 5 December to 7 December.

Continue reading...
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Guardian staff and agencies

She Zhijiang’s empire includes gambling complex Shwe Kokko that US has tied to regional scam and trafficking networks

She Zhijiang, an alleged transnational crime kingpin accused by Beijing of having run more than 200 illegal online gambling operations, is being extradited to China from Bangkok on Wednesday, Thai police have said.

The Chinese national is perhaps the most prominent figure among Asia’s alleged cybercrime operators to be arrested, and has been linked to regional scam networks by the US.

Continue reading...

Dept. of Memes

Nov. 12th, 2025 09:16 pm
kaffy_r: Dillons illustration of Nix's Abhorsen world. (The Old Kingdom)
[personal profile] kaffy_r
Music Meme, Day 9

A song with three words: 

It's been rather too long a day, at least in terms of my having to put my brain to use, but I'm almost through it now. And before I totter off to bed, I thought I'd return to the music meme. Today's entry required me to put my head together with Bob. We ultimately agreed on the choice I made.

Please note that the English translation of the name of this piece has the requisite three words - Lord have mercy. I am no longer a believer, or at least only an intermittent believer in something that probably isn't Christianity; however, I did choose this based on memories from when I was a believer. I'm not familiar with the music, certainly not enough to choose a good, bad, or indifferent version. I went through a number of choices on YouTube, but ultimately decided to keep it simple and go with a brief chant. For more information on why looking into the music of my birth faith can be fascinating, I direct your attention to Madame Wiki. 


Here are the previous days' entries:  Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 6Day 7, Day 8

Goodnight, all.


Overcast Autumn

Nov. 12th, 2025 07:16 pm
lovelyangel: Tonikawa Episode 6 (Tsukasa Camera)
[personal profile] lovelyangel
Japanese Maple Under Gray Skies
Japanese Maple Under Gray Skies
Strolling Pond Garden • Portland Japanese Garden • Portland, Oregon
October 30, 2025
Nikon Z8 • NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S
f/8 @ 33mm • 1/500s • ISO 1600

The weather forecast for Wednesday, October 29 was sunshine, and I really, really wanted to go to the Portland Japanese Garden to get photographs of the trees in autumn glory. The red and orange leaves are aglow when backlit by the sun, and this was the perfect opportunity.

The only schedule conflict was the contractors coming to bring me the extra bookshelves I had ordered. They were scheduled to come at 10:00 am, and I figured they’d be no more than 30 minutes. Easy.

Unfortunately, that morning I received a text from my interior designer saying the contractors were delayed and would arrive between 11:00 am and 11:30 am. OK. That wasn’t great, but I could still get to the gardens by noon or 12:30 pm.

I was dismayed when the contractor did not arrive until 1:30 pm, and they departed at 2:00 pm. I could maybe get to the gardens by 2:45 pm. I know that the trees and the west hills begin blocking the sun much earlier than sunset. Basically, I had to cancel the attempt to get photos. I was pretty disappointed as sunshine during fall colors is uncommon in Oregon. Also, I knew the forecast was for overcast skies on Thursday.

Thursday, With Cloudy Skies )

(no subject)

Nov. 12th, 2025 09:01 pm
harpers_child: melaka fray reading from "Tales of the Slayers". (Default)
[personal profile] harpers_child
1. Weather change has knocked me over. That's possibly unfair to the weather change as I've been knocked over since I had covid in August. I should make a doctor's appointment about it, except I don't have the brain bandwidth to make it. I need to make several different doctor's appointments and just can't make myself do it. (ADHD and chronic fatigue make for a fun combination.)

2. Pulled down and uprooted the black eyed pea plants. They've been dead for a few weeks and I've been grabbing the pods as they dry out. No more pods for a few days so it's time for the dead plants to go. (Did find a few pods while pulling down the vines.) About a third of the vines got cut up and put into the composter. Stopped about there due to combination of blister forming on my finger and running out of room.

3. It's not seasonal depression when it's been ongoing for more than a year, but I've fallen deeper into the hole since the time change. ("this is not your grave, get out of this hole.") I'd been doing better. The backslide is hitting me almost as hard as the increased bad brain.
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Chris Stein

Measure to restart federal operations passes narrowly, but excludes healthcare funding demanded by Democrats

The longest US government shutdown in history is set to end on Wednesday after more than 42 days, following the House of Representative’s passage of a bill negotiated by Republicans and a splinter group of Democrat-aligned senators. The legislation restarts federal operations but does not include the healthcare funding the minority party demanded.

The compromise sets the stage for government operations to return to normal through January, while leaving unresolved the issue of expiring tax credits for Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare health plans, which most Democrats demanded be extended in any deal to reopen the government.

Continue reading...
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Warren Murray with Guardian writers and agencies

Foreign properties may be nationalised if Lukoil doesn’t sell, or the proceeds frozen if it does; Zelenskyy grapples with corruption scandal fallout. What we know on day 1,359

The foreign oil refineries and other assets of Russian company Lukoil are attracting potential buyers as time runs out to strike cheap deals before US sanctions come into force on 21 November. The sanctions, put in place in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, have already disrupted Lukoil’s operations in Iraq, at pump stations in Finland and a refinery in Bulgaria. Kazakhstan’s state firm KazMunayGas is studying a bid for Lukoil’s assets in the country, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Shell is interested in Lukoil deepwater assets in Ghana and Nigeria, two other sources said. Shell declined to comment to Reuters.

The government of Moldova has started talks to nationalise Lukoil’s infrastructure at Chisinau airport, said the airport’s director, Serdgiu Spoiala. Bulgaria is working towards seizing and reselling Lukoil’s Burgas refinery, although Bulgaria’s president, Rumen Radev, has sent the legislation back to parliament asking for legal changes. In Egypt, Lukoil has indicated to the government its possible plans to sell out, a Reuters source familiar with the situation said. Lukoil holds three concessions in Egypt. Egypt’s petroleum ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Lukoil faces either selling its assets and having the proceeds potentially seized, or their takeover by foreign states if it does not sell them, said Sergey Vakulenko, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and former head of strategy at Russian oil firm Gazprom Neft. Lukoil may try to emulate Russian oil firm Rosneft whose three German refineries were put under a trusteeship in 2022 – controlled by Berlin but still owned by Rosneft. Lukoil’s attempt to sell foreign assets to the Swiss-based oil trader Gunvor was scrapped after opposition from the US treasury which called Gunvor the Kremlin’s “puppet”.

The Russian army overran three settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine, Kyiv’s top military commander, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Wednesday. Dense fog enabled Russian troops to infiltrate Ukrainian positions, he continued, adding that Ukrainian units were locked in “gruelling battles” to repel the Russian thrust. The fiercest battles remained in the besieged Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, where close to half of all frontline clashes took place over the previous 24 hours. There was increased fighting also in the cities of Kupiansk and Lyman in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region.

At Huliaipole, a Zaporizhzhia settlement where Syrskyi said the situation had worsened significantly, Reuters interviewed 84-year-old Polina Plyushchii as she sat bundled in layers of clothing and clutching her cane inside an evacuation van. Deadly threats including drones had made life too dangerous, she said. “You’re in your own house, your own yard – and you can’t go out,” she said, as Ukrainian rescuers race to get remaining civilians out of the line of fire. “There’s nowhere to buy medicine, there’s no water,” said evacuee Zhanna Puzanova, 55, adding both she and her 88-year-old mother were in poor health. “We can’t live like that any longer.”

Vitaly Klitschko, the Kyiv mayor, has called for Ukraine to boost its fighting numbers by lowering the age of conscription. “In the past, 18-year-olds served in the army – but those are kids,” he said. “Right now you can only be mobilised in Ukraine from age 25. You could lower it by a year or two – to 23 or 22.” Klitschko spoke to a media network that includes Politico.

Continue reading...

Half-Price Sale in Polychrome Heroics

Nov. 12th, 2025 08:04 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Damask smiling over their shoulder (polychrome)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
The  November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl made its $300 goal, so there will be a half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics from Monday 17-Sunday 23.  Mark the dates on your calendar, and I hope to see you then! 
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Chris Stein

Measure to restart federal operations passes narrowly, but excludes healthcare funding demanded by Democrats

The longest US government shutdown in history is set to end on Wednesday after more than 42 days, following the House of Representative’s passage of a bill negotiated by Republicans and a splinter group of Democrat-aligned senators. The legislation restarts federal operations but does not include the healthcare funding the minority party demanded.

The compromise sets the stage for government operations to return to normal through January, while leaving unresolved the issue of expiring tax credits for Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare health plans, which most Democrats demanded be extended in any deal to reopen the government.

Continue reading...
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Richard Luscombe

In messages released by House Democrats, Epstein wrote ‘of course [Trump] knew about the girls’

Damning new emails that suggest Donald Trump knew about the conduct of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released Wednesday, including one in which Epstein said “of course [Trump] knew about the girls” procured for his sex-trafficking ring, and another that said Trump “spent hours” with one victim at Epstein’s house.

The release of the three messages by Democrats on the House oversight committee is likely to heap significant pressure on the White House to publish in full the so-called Epstein files reportedly detailing the long-running scandal that has overshadowed Trump’s second term in office.

Continue reading...
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Robert Mackey (now); Shrai Popat, Lucy Campbell, Amy Sedghi and Vicky Graham (earlier)

The White House announced that Donald Trump plans to sign the legislation to reopen the federal government at 9:45pm Eastern Time, on live television

In a new batch of emails released by Democrats on the House oversight committee, Jeffrey Epstein wrote that Donald Trump knew about the late financier and sex-offender’s conduct. In the three emails released, Epstein apparently told his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump “spent hours” at his house with one of Epstein’s victims.

In two other emails to author Michael Wolff, Epstein wrote that “of course he knew about the girls”, referring to the now-president. According to the exchanges, Epstein also solicited Wolff’s advice about how he should handle Trump discussing their friendship in an interview with CNN. “I think you should let him hang himself,” Wolff writes. “If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.”

Continue reading...

(no subject)

Nov. 12th, 2025 07:45 pm
marginaliana: A cat typing on a laptop. (Cat + computer)
[personal profile] marginaliana
When we watch old Taskmaster episodes on Channel 4 there are only two types of ads these days: the sponsor ads for Tesco Whoosh and then the endless, endless gambling ads.

I know from friends and relatives that online gambling is everywhere in the UK, that almost everyone does it at least somewhat. And I suppose I should be comforted by how often the ads mention the website's 'how to not get obsessed with gambling' features. But there's nothing else being sold anymore (there used to be ads for washing machines at least!), just the chance to throw your money away on online slots - and how sad is that, that I want to be sold something else if only to feel like capitalism can at minimum create objects that you can use?

And then today I did see an ad for something else!

It was Chat GPT.
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Robert Mackey (now); Shrai Popat, Lucy Campbell, Amy Sedghi and Vicky Graham (earlier)

Congress’w newest member, Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva, signs petition which should force House vote on legislation to release Epstein files

In a new batch of emails released by Democrats on the House oversight committee, Jeffrey Epstein wrote that Donald Trump knew about the late financier and sex-offender’s conduct. In the three emails released, Epstein apparently told his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump “spent hours” at his house with one of Epstein’s victims.

In two other emails to author Michael Wolff, Epstein wrote that “of course he knew about the girls”, referring to the now-president. According to the exchanges, Epstein also solicited Wolff’s advice about how he should handle Trump discussing their friendship in an interview with CNN. “I think you should let him hang himself,” Wolff writes. “If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.”

Continue reading...
[syndicated profile] guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Lauren Gambino, Joseph Gedeon and Chris Stein

House Democrats vow to vote no but Republican leaders optimistic legislation to reopen government will pass

The House on Wednesday began voting on legislation that would end the longest government shutdown in US history, as Democrats voiced fury that the Senate-brokered compromise fails to extend expiring healthcare subsidies.

The House returned to Washington to vote after a more than 50-day absence ordered by the Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, to pressure Senate Democrats into reopening the government.The measure’s passage would be welcome news for the White House, which is looking to end the shutdown.

Continue reading...