Given the murder of a non-binary child in the US recently, this article was interesting. It claims the parents of other schoolkids are more trouble than the kids who are interacting with a non-binary child. And remember most opinions held by children, including prejudices, come from the parents.
The children who brutally murdered a transgender girl have been named, in a positive article about her death, Zoe Williams comments that transphobia seems to be a component of why Brianna was murdered and how it is whipped up by the right-wing press and politicians, I think it's worth a read and I agree we should remember the name of the victim not the perpetrators, who will locked up for years.
I have had two reports of bereavement in the last few days with the funeral process tomorrow taking up most of the day. As they say, one sign of old age is going to more funerals than weddings. One is my elderly neighbour, who at 97 years old could be seen as inevitable, the other a good friend and widow of an even better friend, who died some years ago. This good lady died from a stroke, which given my own experience of a similar affliction, makes it even more poignant.
I was about to start writing this weeks and need to read the previous episode to maintain continuity and lo and behold it's no longer on the front page although other stories posted before or on Saturday are, no wonder my hit numbers are low these days. Is it worth it when I could be doing something like cleaning up after the flood in my lab?
I've been doing some preparatory work/ study for some surveys I'm doing and also some teaching I'm doing next week. As you probably know I have an interest in freshwater macroinvertebrates (Mayfly larvae etc) and I came across TG being used in a dictionary of entomology - it stood for tracheal gills. There will be more of those than transgender people, so should obviously spring to the ordinary person's mind (or what passes for one). I knew you'd be glad to read that.
I don't know if others have noticed that when Christmas nears, we seem to have a series of disasters, usually earthquakes, aeroplane crashes or killings. I looked at the Guardian website and beside the awful murder of Brianna Ghey, there was a shooting of 14 or more in Prague, the murder of a little boy in London, the continued genocide in Gaza, Russian atrocities in Ukraine, the earthquake in China and so on.
I read this book this week and thoroughly enjoyed it, it's only been published a week or two and it is up to date with Covid and the campaign against transwomen, including the note at the end of the book. It has excitement, some plausible characters and some very interesting elements about gender dysphoria.
I'm afraid that I'm away all day on Saturday attending a national dormouse conference. I'll be leaving home with a friend at Sparrow fart and returning home late so I won't have time to write Bike, sorry and all that.
She hadn't been well for few days, in fact really, I was back and forth to the vet for the last few months. Anyway, my Whizz developed heart failure which worsened over the last couple of days and she stopped eating or drinking so I couldn't get any diuretics into her. We had a lovely afternoon together and she knew something was up as she followed me around the house and sadly I took to the vet for the last time. I then brought her home and buried her in the garden, near to Bonzi's grave.
A final section about the Ambassador's wife, It was all action but I promise I'll do a gentle one next time.
Anway, a green tick told me my story had loaded but it seems to have disappeared. Can somebody tell me if I need to repost it or if it can be restored.
According to the British Social attitudes survey, except it seems towards transgender people.
'The study notes, however, that attitudes towards transgender people – recorded only since 2016 – appear more volatile, with a recent sharp decline in public support. The proportion of the British public describing themselves as “not prejudiced” towards transgender people fell from 82% to 64% between 2021 and 2022, when the latest survey took place.
I'm waiting to take her to the emergency vet, so I don't know if I shall be able to write Bike today, it looks doubtful so sorry but my little furry baby is my priority at the moment.
While the Labour party in Britain struggles with the gap between trans rights and feminist worries Russia has no such worries, Putin has banned all treatment for transgender folk making it illegal. And I thought we had problems in the west.
It was on this date in 1986 that I went to work as me for the first time, goodness it was nerve-racking and looking back on it, it only seems a short while ago, but with a stroke and ageing plus diabetes, I have slowed up considerably, but I am still going and hope to be for a few more years yet.
I only just realised that this was only a link to an external site which no longer seems to exist and as I had the story on a pen drive I quickly edited it and have posted it as new story. Apologies to those who have already read it but it's probably worth a second one. I have met James Cracknell and he really is dishy. (Didn't wash my hand that had shaken his for a couple of days!)
There is at least one balanced view on the recent hysteria of transwomen invading women-only spaces, this is well written article quoting evidence to support her view that trans women are likely to be more vulnerable and to have received more abuse than cis gendered women and that instead of being exclusive we should all be supporting each other to protect ourselves from predatory men, which isn't a diatribe against men, just those who abuse and murder all types of women and vulnerable groups.
This is the last novel in the Gaby Dorset Trilogy, I think there is something like thirty chapters and like the other two novels, I'll try to post one a week. It gets off to a burning start, so enjoy there will be racing and Gaby's crime-fighting involved. So will she finally deal with Meadows or will he get her? You'll have to read it to see.
From the Guardian a report of a transwoman killed as she did her shopping has also starred in a documentary film which has won awards. How people can defend gun ownership defeats me.
So while life is going to be tough for a month or so, I shall endeavour to post if I can. There is a new Bike tonight and I received a lot of support from different readers and one or two who weren't so supportive, but I don't expect everyone to agree with me, if they did I'd have to admit they were perfect too.
I was particularly boosted by other writers who supported my grumble including some very popular ones and also for whom I have great respect and I got some extra comments so I felt happy enough to return.
I've been posting here for about 16 years and have probably posted more than anyone else, last week I started a new story Spider and I thought the first episode was going to get no comments but it got two or three eventually, so I wrote a second episode and that was posted about five days ago, it got seventy odd kudos, but no comments. Now I don't expect many comments from readers because I realise that most are selfish shits who are only interested in themselves, but there are several who comment quite regularly on my efforts for which I am grateful.
I wrote about bees as possibly having self-awareness, now these tiny marvels, featured in research by an American scientist, seem to show this in spades leading them to reconsider how the laws in America don't protect these intelligent insects (they don't protect mammals much either compared to the UK) and how they need changing. I read Chittka's book last year, it was fascinating and now this American scientist, Stephen Bucchman, feels the same towards them. The article is interesting and easy to read.
This woman caused riots in New Zealand with her anti-trans opinions, with which she courts the fascist right-wing, neo-nazis. She is British but I firmly believe if anyone should lose their citizenship, it should be her,
Homecoming Princess, (revised) I'm mentioning it because Arecee shuffled off this mortal coil some years ago, you have to suspend belief a little, but then we do that for most fiction. I just thought that newer readers who have never heard of some of the older writers, may not be aware of the content that this amazing site has to offer.
Anyway, it's a sweet story so no nasties or sex, but give it a try and while you are doing so the rest of us can pretend that he's still alive and enjoying your pleasure in his writing. Leave a comment it may stimulate others to look.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.