Alison Bechdel. Post- Dykes to Watch Out For

Saw the specialist this arvo. Yes indeed: we're pretty much certain that what I've got is a mercifully mild case of Crohn's disease. (And, as I'd speculated, it couldn't have been diagnosed without a capsule endoscopy!)

Crohn's can be treated with drugs, but they're hard-hitters: corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, the sort of medications you only take if you seriously have to. Luckily, we can most probably treat my symptoms with supplements, and - if I'm lucky - with over-the-counter tummy medicines in place of the Questran and its evil side effects. We shall see! :D

(a) It's 32 degrees.
(b) I cannot be arsed.
(c) That is all.

Hang on, actually, I'm going to make a handy temperature chart.

28 C = 82.4 F = hot

30 C = 86 F = bloody hot

32 C = 89.6 F = stupidly hot

35 C = 95 F = tomorrow's Sydney forecast

37 C = 98.6 F = body temperature

40 C = 104 F = how hot it will probably actually be where we are

43 C = 109.4 F = wtf

Monash University tackles global warming sceptics' arguments.

The full document is here: Responses to Questions & Objections on Climate Change

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18238-why-theres-no-sign-of-a-climate-conspiracy-in-hacked-emails.html
Why there's no sign of a climate conspiracy in hacked emails
New Scientist, 4 December 2009

"You can't fake spring coming earlier, or trees growing higher up on mountains, or glaciers retreating for kilometres up valleys, or shrinking ice cover in the Arctic, or birds changing their migration times, or permafrost melting in Alaska, or the tropics expanding, or ice shelves on the Antarctic peninsula breaking up, or peak river flow occurring earlier in summer because of earlier snowmelt, or sea level rising faster and faster, or any of the thousands of similar examples."

OMFG I HATE MY NOVEL STAB STAB STABBITY STAB. That is all.

OMG WHAT A WEEK. Between flea-bombing the house (a major military campaign!), overdoing it at the gym, and sleeping badly, I have been trashed for days. Miles behind on everything. Bear with me, folks. X_X

I've given in and am reading the newspaper again. Oy.

UN says Aboriginal health conditions worse than Third World: "Basic needs, such as adequate housing, safe drinking water and sanitation and access to education are not being met." How can any Australian in the 21st Century be living in conditions like that?! In fairness, the government has increased spending on Indigneous health, but the UN rapporteur says the money needs to go to "Aboriginal community-controlled health services". So yet again it comes back to self-determination rather than well-meaning but perpetually ineffective paternalism. (I'm trying to find the recent Remote Indigenous Services report which outlines some of the problems, including bureaucrats sitting on data.)

While I'm grumbling, what else is blindingly obvious, and yet somehow is constantly overlooked? Oh yeah: "The first step towards peace is for both sides to stop saying 'We're the innocent victims and the other guys are evil' - which is the discourse that predominates both in the Arab world and the Jewish world. We have to transcend the blame game and move to a discourse of mutual compassion."

I want to swipe a quote - the bit where Saavik says to David, approximately, "The time has come for total honesty between us." Anybody got the movie and a mo to check the exact wording for me? (Incentive! You get to name a planet too!)

ETA: Got it! Thanks, folks!