These are balloon animals like you’ve never seen balloon animals before.

Phoenix by Masayoshi Matsumoto

Fuck it, I’m getting political. I’m really concerned and worried about the election here in the US and I’m tired of censoring myself. I will try to separate out the US election links from everything else, though.  I know it’s not everyone’s primary interest and that some folks are avoiding for really good reasons, but this is what I’m reading right now.

• Why Peter Thiel Believes Young People’s Blood Is the Ultimate Medicine WHAAAAAAAAT. I have questions. So does Shannon Paulus.
• Grace Sherwood, the Litigious Witch I remember hearing about the Witch of Pungo when I was a kid in Virginia Beach. But I never knew all this about the real woman.
• Down With the Office Blanket I’ve often wondered if this is one of the reasons knitting shawls has become so popular the last 10 years.
• I emailed my girlfriend’s boss to complain that he encroached on our relationship DO NOT DO THIS.
• Tanzanian Tribe of Straight Women Who Marry Each Other This is really interesting–but I am not sure how much I trust Marie Claire to do a fair job reporting this.
• Missouri’s Governor Wouldn’t Fund Public Defenders—So He’s Been Ordered to Serve as One Himself
• Myth Has Momentum, or: How I Accidentally Deified a Jar of Jelly I love this essay by Kelly McCullough so much. I also love Steph’s account of building the shrine.

Reader Submitted Links

Lilysea sent in a whole bunch of links and here they are–thanks so much for the link supply. 🙂

• Shetland pony broke into pub, got drunk and had to be coaxed out with bar snacks
• Men in Iran are wearing hijabs in solidarity with their wives who are forced to cover their hair
• Chronic fatigue syndrome: is the biopsychosocial model responsible for patient dissatisfaction and harm?
• North Carolina’s voter suppression law struck down as “racist”
• Lego Mars Rover! (video)
• Osprey nest webcam!

US Election Links

• What Hillary really meant to say on her historic night
• Bill Clinton wore a fetching navy pantsuit to honor Hillary Clinton’s nomination for US president
• An Abbreviated List of Every Bonkers Thing Donald Trump Has Done In the Past 24 Hours This is from Wednesday, so I’m sure there are more things to add to the list now. Sigh.
• The Halcyon Days When Scandals, Gaffes, and Flubs Ended Presidential Campaigns
• Inside The Fraternity Of Haters And Losers Who Drove Donald Trump To The GOP Nomination
• Medicalizing Presidential Candidates, past and present. Let us not do this, okay?
• Donald Trump’s business failures: a comprehensive guide

Make a Suggestion for the Links Roundup!