Network | Kake

because no one, not even me, cares that the heat is almost out again at work. Dad's like you've been saying this for a decade. Because it's true every winter. Let's never fix a thing at my school.

Though yesterday was strange. I was walking in the hall of my building when a young lady says 'I love your hair.' I thank her, pleased. 3 seconds later....was she on the phone with someone else? she's not one of MY students. Why did she say that? My hair is awful. Literally my entire life I was bullied for what my hair was like. I find it hard to accept praise for it.

Also I'm on a fanfic reading hiatus until I clear off the half dozen library holds.

What I Just Finished Reading:

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Hunting - hated this

Queen in Comics! By Emmanuel Marie - not a bad prose/graphic novel mix little bio. How, I don't know, but I had no idea Freddie was raised in the Zoasterian faith

Werewolf at Dusk and other Stories - David Small - three short stories, illustrated by Small.

What I am Currently Reading:

A Curious Kind of Magic - so far an interesting not-quite-cozy mystery

Sugar and Vice - oh look another baker cozy mystery, this one set in Florida. Even with the eye rollingly stereotypical amateur sleuth this is sort of fun.

What I Plan to Read Next: La Grand Familia and Zombie Day Care and the library books including one on Sally Ride and one Alison Bechdel who did Fun House. I hope this is better than that thing. (I needed a book about a character who does pilates. This graphic novel has that)

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Inspector George Gently

guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Jonathan Yerushalmy

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/22/trump-greenland-framework-future-deal-reactions

Nato chief Mark Rutte says there is ‘a lot of work to be done’, as some Danish MPs voice concern at Greenland apparently being sidelined in US president’s talks

Donald Trump’s announcement of a “framework of a future deal” that would settle the issue of Greenland after weeks of escalating threats has been met with profound scepticism from people in the Arctic territory, even as financial markets rebounded and European leaders welcomed a reprieve from further tariffs.

Just hours after the president used his speech at the World Economic Forum to insist he wanted Greenland, “including right, title and ownership,” but backed away from his more bellicose threats of military intervention – Trump took to social media to announce “the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” after talks with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, and withdrew the threat of tariffs against eight European countries.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/22/trump-greenland-framework-future-deal-reactions

guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Jonathan Howcroft

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/jan/22/australian-open-tennis-2026-novak-djokovic-francesco-maestrelli-second-round-live

Updates from day five at Melbourne Park
Men’s No 4 faces Italian qualifier on Rod Laver Arena
Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email

Djokovic to serve first…

Cries of “Nole!” as the living legend strides out onto a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena. He unpacks his bags in front of a knot of Serbian fans and pulls on a white crocodilian hat. Maestrelli is wearing his baseball cap backwards, like a Steve Buscemi meme.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/jan/22/australian-open-tennis-2026-novak-djokovic-francesco-maestrelli-second-round-live

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Posted by Jessica Rozen

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/22/bondi-terror-attack-people-calling-me-hero

My phone zoom helped me see better. One man was on the footbridge. He was holding a gun. It was pointed towards me

• Warning: This article contains graphic content

Hanukah is called “the festival of light”. It is a minor holiday in the Jewish calendar, not biblically prescribed. There are no long synagogue services, no onerous prohibitions or requirements. Just candles, songs and doughnuts. This is probably part of why I always loved it.

There were four or five events in Sydney for the first night of Hanukah. In 2024 we went to an event at Dover Heights, but parking was a nightmare. We decide on Bondi (where parking is also a nightmare). Five of us – my mum, husband, son (3), daughter (one-and-a-half) and I pile into the car.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/22/bondi-terror-attack-people-calling-me-hero

princessofgeeks

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

Current Mood: cheerful

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

Dear Eric: My fiancé and I are facing an impasse regarding the guest list for our upcoming wedding. I want to exclude his brother's (the best man) wife from the invitation list.

She consistently refuses to engage with me socially, going no further than a brief "hi." There has been no conflict; she simply does not converse with me. Although, if I ask her about herself or what's going on in her life she will answer, but there's no back and forth. I doubt she even knows my name.

For context, my fiancé is Hungarian, and his family is small. Although she speaks English fluently, she is the only family member who never attempts to talk to me or ask me any questions. While they invited me to their wedding a few months ago, I believe it was purely out of obligation.

My fiancé says that excluding her will create drama. He has acknowledged her behavior is "mean-spirited" in the past, yet he excuses it as shyness. Saying she took years to warm up to him. I find this a poor excuse for a complete lack of basic manners, and I am unwilling to have a guest at my wedding who will not speak to me.

I have told my fiancé that he needs to discuss this with his brother, but he has not done so, and invitations are about to be sent out. I am intent on sending a clear message by not including her. And from now and until our wedding there won't be any more chances to interact as we don't live in the same country.

Am I overreacting or is it reasonable to save my money while also slighting her.

– Guest List

( Read more... )

torachan

1. I took Carla to the airport this morning before work and she has arrived safe and sound in Wisconsin.

2. Our heat spell is over and it was chilly and overcast today. It might even rain tomorrow, though the forecast has gone down from 50% to like 25%, so maybe not.

3. I love when cats morph into their slug form.

celli

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

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Posted by Jonathan Howcroft

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/jan/22/australian-open-tennis-2026-novak-djokovic-francesco-maestrelli-second-round-live

Updates from day five at Melbourne Park
Men’s No 4 faces Italian qualifier on Rod Laver Arena
Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email

There is nowhere quite like Melbourne for changeable weather. It’s going to be 40C on Saturday, and 43C is forecast for Tuesday, but today the top will be just 20, with a stiff southerly breeze making it feel a few degrees cooler. This has worked out well for Djokovic who will avoid an energy sapping afternoon of fierce heat on what is a rare daytime start.

It’s been a busy start to the day for Americans in the women’s singles.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/jan/22/australian-open-tennis-2026-novak-djokovic-francesco-maestrelli-second-round-live

guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Warren Murray and agencies

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/22/ukraine-war-briefing-zelenskyy-expected-in-davos-after-all-to-meet-trump

Unclear if presidents will have anything to sign; Mark Rutte urges Nato to pour out their air defence stockpiles for Ukraine. What we know on day 1,429

Voldymyr Zelenskyy was reported on Wednesday evening to be bound for Davos after Donald Trump appeared to summon him to the World Economic Forum. The Ukrainian president had said a day earlier that he did not expect to attend the conference in Switzerland as Russian attacks had plunged Ukraine into an energy crisis: “Undoubtedly, I choose Ukraine in this case, rather than the economic forum, but everything can change at any moment.”

Trump’s announcement of the meeting appeared to be at short notice, since he said it would take place on Wednesday, when his Ukrainian counterpart was not even in the same country. After Trump spoke, officials clarified that their meeting would be on Thursday. Zelenskyy previously said: “Meetings with America should always end with concrete results to strengthen Ukraine or to move closer to ending the war. And if the documents are ready, we will meet.” Talks between senior Ukrainian representatives and Trump’s envoys have been continuing since Saturday, including in Davos, but late on Wednesday it was unclear whether there would be any documents to sign.

Top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said he had met US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Davos. Umerov repeated the familiar refrain that their talks focused on security guarantees and postwar recovery. Umerov said a Ukrainian delegation also met representatives of the US investment firm Blackrock about rebuilding plans.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, meanwhile said that he would meet on Thursday with Witkoff and Kushner, who were headed from Davos to Moscow. Interestingly, Putin, quoted by Russian news agencies, said he would discuss with the US envoys the possible use of frozen Russian assets. The EU has been wrangling with how to mobilise Belgian-held Russian assets, about €300bn ($350bn) worth, to help Ukraine defend itself and rebuild. Putin appeared to be attempting to head off the European effort, reportedly saying he wanted to use such funding to restore “[territories] damaged during military actions”. He did not say whether those would be Ukrainian, Russian or Russian-held areas.

The Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, on Wednesday urged its military chiefs to press their national governments to get desperately needed air defence systems to Ukraine. “Please use your influence to help your political masters to do even more,” Rutte said in a video message to top brass as they met at Nato’s Brussels headquarters. “Look deep into your stockpiles to see what more you can give to Ukraine, particularly air defence interceptors. The time really is now.”

A Ukrainian drone strike set oil terminal tanks on fire at Volna in the southern Krasnodar region on Wednesday, Russian authorities said, claiming that three people were killed and eight injured. There was claim and counterclaim after a fire at residential buildings near the city of Krasnodar in Russia’s south-west. The region’s leader said it was a Ukrainian drone strike and 11 people were injured. The Ukrainian side said it was stray Russian air defence fire. The head of Ukraine’s anti-disinformation centre, Andriy Kovalenko: “A Russian air defence missile struck a residential building in the town of Afipsky [in the Adygea region].”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/22/ukraine-war-briefing-zelenskyy-expected-in-davos-after-all-to-meet-trump

ysabetwordsmith

moonhare posted a lovely picture of snow, and a very amusing still life of "Snow Predicted." It got me thinking that occasions would make a great theme for still life in general.

Current Mood: amused

questionable_content_feed

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=5749

Cute hanners :3

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=5749

ursula

glowingfish asked:

The Golden Age of published science-fiction was more or less from 1955 to 1975 (lets say). Why did it end when it did? Do you think that science-fiction (or fantasy) published after 1975 was different, or do you just think it had less ability to become part of the "canon"?

This is really non-standard periodization! Wikipedia has the Golden Age of science fiction starting in the late 1930s, in connection with sci-fi magazine publishing history; the end of your period is solidly New Wave.

The counter-argument is the aphorism that the Golden Age of science fiction is twelve; by that rule, it's interesting to think about who was twelve in 1955-1975, or whatever guidelines you want to pick, and what influence they might have had on defining a canon, once they reached their twenties or thirties. The people who were twelve between 1955 and 1975 were mostly baby boomers, in the standard US generational framework; that was my parents' generation (and

glowingfish's parents', I'm guessing), and it makes sense that the stories they considered formative would seem quasi-canonized to our generation.

guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Lauren Aratani in New York and Andrew Roth

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/21/trump-framework-greenland-tariffs-threats

US president claims ‘framework’ of agreement in the works after ‘very productive’ meeting with Nato secretary general

Donald Trump has walked back his threat to impose sweeping US tariffs on eight European countries, claiming he had agreed “the framework of a future deal” on Greenland.

Four days after vowing to introduce steep import duties on a string of US allies over their support for Greenland’s continued status as an autonomous Danish territory, the president backed down.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/21/trump-framework-greenland-tariffs-threats

guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Eva Corlett in Wellington

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/22/new-zealand-storms-people-missing-after-mount-maunganui-campsite-landslide-as-minister-compares-east-coast-to-war-zone

Record-breaking rains spark landslide at Mount Maunganui campsite, with helicopter teams retrieving families from rooftops and local states of emergency declared

Emergency services in New Zealand are searching for several people, including a child, believed missing after a landslide hit a campsite during storms that have caused widespread damage across the North Island.

Emergency minister Mark Mitchell told RNZ that parts of the east coast looked like “a war zone”, with helicopters deployed to rescue families sheltering on rooftops from flooding, and local states of emergency declared in five regions across Northland and the East Cape due to days of record-breaking torrential rain.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/22/new-zealand-storms-people-missing-after-mount-maunganui-campsite-landslide-as-minister-compares-east-coast-to-war-zone

guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Jessica Rozen

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/22/bondi-terror-attack-people-calling-me-hero

I was raised strong, but I do not know how to live in a world where a parent does not know how to keep their children safe

• Warning: This article contains graphic content

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/22/bondi-terror-attack-people-calling-me-hero

redbird

There's more evidence that the shingles vaccine reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease: two more natural experiments (in which people were offered the vaccine based on date of birth or where they lived). One of them comparED the older Zostavax vaccine with the newer Shingrix: https://erictopol.substack.com/p/spotlight-on-the-shingles-vaccineagain

As the blogger, Eric Topol says, "If this vaccine was a drug and reduced Alzheimer’s by 20%, it would be considered a major breakthrough for helping to prevent the disease! But as a vaccine, it hasn't reached any sense of being a blockbuster"

isis

What I've recently finished reading:

The Bear and the Serpent, the second book of the Echoes of the Fall series by Adrian Tchaikovsky. As with most books that have multiple storylines and POVs, there were parts I liked better than others; I was more interested in Loud Thunder's adventures as reluctant war leader (and Lone Mountain's journey to the coast) than I was in the goings-on of the River Lords. However, I really liked the bits of cultural worldbuilding there as well, particularly the Wolf priest and the Snake priest(ess) coming to an understanding, and the uneasy relationship of Asmander and Asman which sort of echoed that between Maniye and Akrit Stone River.

Toward the end, it became clear that this series ties into the Shadows of the Apt series, which I had read the first book of (Empire in Black and Gold) a while back, but didn't really feel inclined to continue. So when I finished, I grabbed book 2, Dragonfly Falling, but it only took me a few chapters before I had the "yeah, nah" feeling again, so I guess I won't read that series.

What I'm reading now:

I was about to buy book 3 but then my library hold on Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo came in unexpectedly quickly (

wychwood had reviewed it and it sounded up my alley) so I'm reading that now - hey, it's got people who turn into animals too!

What I've recently finished watching:

S2 of The Empress, which was really enjoyable. The setting of a great power in decline desperately trying to hold onto its glory through ill-advised military ventures is great escapism from...oh, never mind. They do have more magnificent dresses, though!

Actually one thing that struck me about this series is that although the women are formally valued only in their ability to produce boy babies, the narrative highlights their strength, the way they are the iron rods stapling things together. They may be swaddled in yards of cloth that make it difficult to run through the forest, but Elisabeth goes out and looks the people in the eye and talks to them, Sophie has a place at the council table, Charlotte gives Maximilian advice (and he listens) - well, they all give men advice, and the men ignore them at their peril.

What I'm playing now:

Still Ghost of Tsushima. Getting close to the end of the first part, I think!

elisem

Here's where I am today, I guess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InyT9Gyoz_o

guardianworldnews_feed

Posted by Arifa Akbar

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jan/22/our-town-review-michael-sheen-moves-american-classic-about-small-town-life-to-wales

Thornton Wilder’s classic American play is transposed for the inaugural production of National Theatre Wales. The result is heartfelt, though its emotional bite can feel uncertain

A revival of Thornton Wilder’s great American play about a provincial town, north of New York, might have carried strong state-of-the-nation resonances at this dark, Trumpian juncture. So it initially seems counterintuitive that this inaugural show for the new National Theatre Wales, which Michael Sheen has heroically championed, transposes the American backwater to Wales.

But Wilder’s play, premiering in the inter-war years, in 1938, is more eternal than political, dramatising a close-knit community navigating life, love and death. And the transposition is convincing here, in spirit, encapsulating the lilt of its Welshness, noisier, more playful and lyrical than the original, especially in its glowing visual imagination and movement design by Jess Williams as well as its emotional lighting by Ryan Joseph Stafford.

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jan/22/our-town-review-michael-sheen-moves-american-classic-about-small-town-life-to-wales

Kake

Just books

Trump declaration of Greenland framework deal met with scepticism as doubts persist

Australian Open 2026: Francesco Maestrelli v Novak Djokovic – live

After the Bondi terror attack people keep calling me a hero. But I am not a hero. I’m a mum who was

Heated Rivalry rec

How is this even a question?

Daily Happiness

how many tags can I cram into this entry?

Australian Open 2026: Francesco Maestrelli v Novak Djokovic – live

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy expected in Davos after all to meet Trump

Snow

Always Quicksave Before Important Dialog

January journal: science fiction periodization

Trump walks back Greenland tariffs threat, citing vague ‘deal’ over territory

New Zealand storms: people missing after landslide hits campsite as minister compares east coast to

After the Bondi terror attack, people keep calling me a hero. There are so many people I could not h

good news: health

wednesday reads and things

you may know this one already (On the Nature of Daylight)

Our Town review: Michael Sheen brings warmth and wit to a Welsh-set Our Town

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December 2023

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