US launches strikes against Islamic State in Nigeria
Dec. 27th, 2025 04:54 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
bbcnewsworld_feedTrump tells Politico he ordered the strikes as "a Christmas present" - contradicting a statement by Nigerian officials.
bbcnewsworld_feedShould a top Russian archaeologist face trial for digging in occupied Crimea?
Dec. 26th, 2025 01:44 ambbcnewsworld_feedThe case of a scholar wanted in Ukraine sparked a debate on the relationship between museums and the Russian state.
India's solar boom faces a hidden waste problem
Dec. 25th, 2025 11:11 pmbbcnewsworld_feedA recent study has found that India will generate over 11 million tonnes of solar waste by 2047 if it does not scale up recycling.
They survived deadly floods. Now they're raising white flags - but not in surrender
Dec. 25th, 2025 11:09 pmbbcnewsworld_feedWeeks after floods ravaged the island of Sumatra, many still do not have access to clean water and food.
Front-runner to be Bangladesh PM returns after 17 years in exile
Dec. 25th, 2025 06:44 ambbcnewsworld_feedTarique Rahman, who has lived in London since 2008, arrives weeks before pivotal elections are held.
Algerian law declares France's colonisation a crime
Dec. 24th, 2025 05:37 pmbbcnewsworld_feedLawmakers unanimously approve a law, which demands an apology and reparations from the former colonial power.
Merry Christmas
Dec. 25th, 2025 11:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadness
It was a better one than I was imagining. The people I didn't want to be there didn't come. Whoo hoo.
We had dinner at mom's. We got fried chicken from the store (they do a nice chicken) a few days ago. My cousins made stuffed shells. Yum. And of course, cookies, so many cookies
Mostly we drank (booze helps) played games (I won trivia and the gambling ones) and they finally left like quarter to Midnight.
And literally that was the whole day so I'll leave you with this, happy holidays, if you celebrate, and if not, hope you had a great day. And also enjoy my pictures of Gallipolis in Lights. They're pretty
( All the pretty sparkling lights )
(no subject)
Dec. 25th, 2025 11:34 pmskygiantsI am not allowing myself to dive into the Yuletide archive this year until after reveals due to a bunch of other reading commitments that have to get done by early January, BUT! I obviously made an exception for my own
THREE
INCREDIBLE
GIFT
FICS:
The Knight Under the Apple Tree
“Our crop is well tended,” Celia protested, despite all evidence that it was not. “It grows copiously out yonder.”
Oliver turned his head to look out the window. “Indeed, the grass outside does grow most mightily.”
“It is a sheepcote, sir; as the name suggests, it is for the keeping of sheep. Thus grass is essential.”
“And yet I do not see the sheep.”
I asked someone to sell me on As You Like It's Celia/Oliver side ship and I have completely received my wish: this fic is SO cute and does such a lovely job filling out the relationship between these characters until it feels like something that fully exists and that I want to root for
A rainbow-stripe in another proper world
“None of it ever happened,” said Uncle Nirupam in his precise way, “and so we have no memories of it, of course. But the instincts remain. I felt the same way when I first visited this world. I thought, is this where they burn people like us?”
The first of two excellent Witch Week fix-it fics -- this one is a short little outsider-POV gem in which Janet Chant and Nan Pilgrim are married, which is not something I would have ever thought of in a million years but which delights me deeply! galaxy brain!
Remember, Remember
“To produce the required crispiness, the mandrake is dipped in wallpaper paste, dredged in sawdust, and then pan-fried until it is completely burnt on all sides,” Nan recited obligingly. “It is served with a side of slugs poached in their own slime. Their chewy texture provides a perfect complement…” Estelle was howling with laughter by this point. Nan, as always in such moments, felt as though she were being carried along by an inexorable flood of words quite independent of herself. A rhyme was pushing insistently at the inside of her head, and she let it out without the least idea where it was going to finish up:
“Crispy mandrake, extra fancy,
Bring me something
Chrestomanci!”
and THIS one is a luxurious and voice-perfect THIRTEEN THOUSAND WORDS spent with my beloved terrible children as their memories are returned by way of an encounter with the TRAGICALLY ABANDONED SENTIENT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. ABSOLUTE GALAXY BRAIN AGAIN ... I'm so happy ...
and having been Yuletided well beyond my deserts, I now leave the archive for now but I look forward to reading everyone's recs on the other side!
THREE
INCREDIBLE
GIFT
FICS:
The Knight Under the Apple Tree
“Our crop is well tended,” Celia protested, despite all evidence that it was not. “It grows copiously out yonder.”
Oliver turned his head to look out the window. “Indeed, the grass outside does grow most mightily.”
“It is a sheepcote, sir; as the name suggests, it is for the keeping of sheep. Thus grass is essential.”
“And yet I do not see the sheep.”
I asked someone to sell me on As You Like It's Celia/Oliver side ship and I have completely received my wish: this fic is SO cute and does such a lovely job filling out the relationship between these characters until it feels like something that fully exists and that I want to root for
A rainbow-stripe in another proper world
“None of it ever happened,” said Uncle Nirupam in his precise way, “and so we have no memories of it, of course. But the instincts remain. I felt the same way when I first visited this world. I thought, is this where they burn people like us?”
The first of two excellent Witch Week fix-it fics -- this one is a short little outsider-POV gem in which Janet Chant and Nan Pilgrim are married, which is not something I would have ever thought of in a million years but which delights me deeply! galaxy brain!
Remember, Remember
“To produce the required crispiness, the mandrake is dipped in wallpaper paste, dredged in sawdust, and then pan-fried until it is completely burnt on all sides,” Nan recited obligingly. “It is served with a side of slugs poached in their own slime. Their chewy texture provides a perfect complement…” Estelle was howling with laughter by this point. Nan, as always in such moments, felt as though she were being carried along by an inexorable flood of words quite independent of herself. A rhyme was pushing insistently at the inside of her head, and she let it out without the least idea where it was going to finish up:
“Crispy mandrake, extra fancy,
Bring me something
Chrestomanci!”
and THIS one is a luxurious and voice-perfect THIRTEEN THOUSAND WORDS spent with my beloved terrible children as their memories are returned by way of an encounter with the TRAGICALLY ABANDONED SENTIENT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. ABSOLUTE GALAXY BRAIN AGAIN ... I'm so happy ...
and having been Yuletided well beyond my deserts, I now leave the archive for now but I look forward to reading everyone's recs on the other side!
Poem: "Technique, Timing, and Leverage"
Dec. 25th, 2025 09:28 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the June 4, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from siliconshaman and wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "Family" square in my 6-1-24 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Big One and Kraken threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.
( Read more... )
siliconshaman and wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "Family" square in my 6-1-24 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Big One and Kraken threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.( Read more... )
Daily Happiness
Dec. 25th, 2025 07:21 pmtorachan1. We had a really fun day at Universal Studios today. It didn't rain nearly as much as we feared. We'd prepped for a lot of rain, but this morning the forecast was saying it would be dry most of the day with just a little light rain here and there, so we ended up leaving the parkas and umbrellas in the car, and as it turned out it was dry 98% of the time and the bit of rain we did have was mostly just very light with one brief harder shower that was over quickly (and even that was not really hard rain).
2. It feels like Saturday but I still have three more days of weekend! Tomorrow we're staying in and Alex is coming over and Carla is making a roast for dinner, so that will be fun. If the weather's still nice we're planning to go to Knott's on Saturday for one last go at their holiday food.
3. Gemma loves these crinkly stuffed carrot toys.
2. It feels like Saturday but I still have three more days of weekend! Tomorrow we're staying in and Alex is coming over and Carla is making a roast for dinner, so that will be fun. If the weather's still nice we're planning to go to Knott's on Saturday for one last go at their holiday food.
3. Gemma loves these crinkly stuffed carrot toys.
I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas
Dec. 25th, 2025 06:59 pmcalimacThe downpour was severe most of the way up, and all the way back, to/from our niece T's house for Christmas dinner. This and the lighter rain we've been getting for the past week have been the first precipitation in over a month, so we ought to be glad to have it, local flooding nonwithstanding.
Inside, it was warm and cozy, though a bit underpopulated due to various constraints. Still, T's husband and both of their sons were there, including the one who's attending university a couple thousand miles away, and so were my brother and his wife, visiting from their home which is even slightly farther away. Another visitor was C., a supervisee of T's from work who's from Singapore and had no chance to celebrate with relatives, so she invited him over to her house.
T. insisted that we all participate in the all-food white elephant gift exchange, promising B. that she wouldn't get stuck with an assortment of hot sauce as happened one year. Most of the gifts were chocolate and/or wine. C. was mystified by opening presents in the presence of the giver, which is not the custom among his people. I got the last item nobody wanted to take, a huge 'wine country gift box' that T. was given as a reward for some professional service. It appears to have crackers and olive oil, among other things, in addition to wine. But I don't know what else is in it, because it's still out in the trunk of my car. Although it's wrapped in plastic, I didn't want to struggle in with it in the rain. Tomorrow is supposed to be lighter and the rain goes away after that.
For the dinner, I made my broccoli with garlic and cashews that had been such a success at Easter, and it was mostly devoured, despite being a large batch. So that was gratifying.
But now we're glad to have gotten safely home, and so are the cats, who'd been wondering when they were going to be fed.
Inside, it was warm and cozy, though a bit underpopulated due to various constraints. Still, T's husband and both of their sons were there, including the one who's attending university a couple thousand miles away, and so were my brother and his wife, visiting from their home which is even slightly farther away. Another visitor was C., a supervisee of T's from work who's from Singapore and had no chance to celebrate with relatives, so she invited him over to her house.
T. insisted that we all participate in the all-food white elephant gift exchange, promising B. that she wouldn't get stuck with an assortment of hot sauce as happened one year. Most of the gifts were chocolate and/or wine. C. was mystified by opening presents in the presence of the giver, which is not the custom among his people. I got the last item nobody wanted to take, a huge 'wine country gift box' that T. was given as a reward for some professional service. It appears to have crackers and olive oil, among other things, in addition to wine. But I don't know what else is in it, because it's still out in the trunk of my car. Although it's wrapped in plastic, I didn't want to struggle in with it in the rain. Tomorrow is supposed to be lighter and the rain goes away after that.
For the dinner, I made my broccoli with garlic and cashews that had been such a success at Easter, and it was mostly devoured, despite being a large batch. So that was gratifying.
But now we're glad to have gotten safely home, and so are the cats, who'd been wondering when they were going to be fed.
Daily Check-In
Dec. 25th, 2025 10:08 pmmecurtin posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Thursday, December 25, to midnight on Friday, December 26 (8pm Eastern Time).
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Poll #34007 Daily check-in poll
This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 23
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 23
How are you doing?
I am OK
16 (69.6%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now
7 (30.4%)
I could use some help
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single
7 (30.4%)
One other person
9 (39.1%)
More than one other person
7 (30.4%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Photography
Dec. 25th, 2025 08:36 pmysabetwordsmith16 Cats Cozying Up Next To The Fireplace
And by cozying up I mean literally getting as close to it as they can — without self-combusting.
And by cozying up I mean literally getting as close to it as they can — without self-combusting.
25 in 2025: Complete
Dec. 25th, 2025 08:03 pmstonepicnicking_okapi1. learn to hem pants
2. go to a new grocery store
3. attend a jhope concert in Brooklyn
4. make an essential oil spray
5. submit an application for a job
6. interview for a job
7. participate in a fic exchange
8. read a manga
9. go to Costco
10. work!
11. eat at a new restaurant
12. explore a trail at a new state park
13. try a new craft
14. play new board games
15. try new recipe
16. play a sport
17. accept a new client
18. try a new bathroom appliance
19. go to someone's house for dinner
20. try a new fruit
21. attend a puzzle swap
22. use a cricut
23. accompany a client to a wedding
24. read a new detective series (*)
25. drink a new cocktail
* The new cozy detective series is the Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt. There are 30+ titles. Andy Carpenter is a wealthy defense lawyer who lives with his wife (former police chief) and child and quirky friends, staff, and acquaintances in Patterson, New Jersey. He also owns part of a dog shelter and the titles are puns about dogs. Grover Gardner narrates the audiobooks and they give the impression of episodes of a TV show like Psych or Monk. Carpenter has a case and there's always a dog involved. I'm currently listening to my 5th book in the series. I've listened to: The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, Deck the Hounds, Dachshund through the Snow, Silent Bite, and this is Santa's Little Yelpers. They're okay. Not too dark.
And...I'm done! Whew!
2. go to a new grocery store
3. attend a jhope concert in Brooklyn
4. make an essential oil spray
5. submit an application for a job
6. interview for a job
7. participate in a fic exchange
8. read a manga
9. go to Costco
10. work!
11. eat at a new restaurant
12. explore a trail at a new state park
13. try a new craft
14. play new board games
15. try new recipe
16. play a sport
17. accept a new client
18. try a new bathroom appliance
19. go to someone's house for dinner
20. try a new fruit
21. attend a puzzle swap
22. use a cricut
23. accompany a client to a wedding
24. read a new detective series (*)
25. drink a new cocktail
* The new cozy detective series is the Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt. There are 30+ titles. Andy Carpenter is a wealthy defense lawyer who lives with his wife (former police chief) and child and quirky friends, staff, and acquaintances in Patterson, New Jersey. He also owns part of a dog shelter and the titles are puns about dogs. Grover Gardner narrates the audiobooks and they give the impression of episodes of a TV show like Psych or Monk. Carpenter has a case and there's always a dog involved. I'm currently listening to my 5th book in the series. I've listened to: The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, Deck the Hounds, Dachshund through the Snow, Silent Bite, and this is Santa's Little Yelpers. They're okay. Not too dark.
And...I'm done! Whew!
All of Agatha: Passenger to Frankfurt
Dec. 25th, 2025 07:45 pmstonepicnicking_okapiThis series of entries is commentary on my lifelong quest to read all of Agatha Christie's works in UK publication order. It was begun in January 2021.
Passenger to Frankfurt [1970] is a completely forgettable thriller. Sir Stafford Nye (the main character's name is the highlight of the whole book) returns home and gets confronted by a mysterious woman in an airport. There's a lot of vague spy stuff, world conspiracy, Hilter and his son surviving WWII, lots of woo-woo. And of course, the most unhealthy relationship dynamics possible.
So, there are only 5 books left! Nemesis, Elephants can remember, Postern of Fate, Curtain and Sleeping Murder, I will try to stretch it out and end January 2027.
Passenger to Frankfurt [1970] is a completely forgettable thriller. Sir Stafford Nye (the main character's name is the highlight of the whole book) returns home and gets confronted by a mysterious woman in an airport. There's a lot of vague spy stuff, world conspiracy, Hilter and his son surviving WWII, lots of woo-woo. And of course, the most unhealthy relationship dynamics possible.
So, there are only 5 books left! Nemesis, Elephants can remember, Postern of Fate, Curtain and Sleeping Murder, I will try to stretch it out and end January 2027.
Thursday Recs
Dec. 25th, 2025 06:47 pmsoc_puppet posting in queerly_belovedHappy Thursday Recs to all those who celebrate! And I guess anything else that might be going on, IDK.
Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!
Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!
Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!
Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!