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cbabe's JournalFirst Seattle Children's prom
Patients find connection, community at first Seattle Children's prom
https://www.theolympian.com/news/state/washington/seattle/article315874807.html
Patients find connection, community at first Seattle Children's prom
Elise Takahama, The Seattle Times The Tribune Content Agency Updated May 24, 2026 6:51 AM
For once, they were looking forward to being at the hospital. Many of the young patients had grown used to years of being in and out of Seattle Children's, facing rare diseases, developmental disorders, cancer diagnoses and other medical conditions. But on this warm May night, they arrived in high spirits. They were celebrating prom.
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Adding to her enthusiasm was the discovery of her dress, a shiny scarlet gown donated to the hospital for the dance, along with more than 100 other dresses and suits from out-of-state vendors and local organizations, like Issaquah-based Ruby Room.
"My favorite color is red, so when I saw it, I was like, ‘That's my dress,' " Monica beamed. She and her sister, who live in Marysville, stayed glued to the dance floor last Saturday, twirling around with each other to 2010s pop songs. The event was made possible largely thanks to the support of donors and volunteers, Reichert said, noting a limited budget. With donations of corsages and boutonnieres, forest-themed decorations, a photo booth, a light-up dance floor, a DJ set, and a mini horse (Bass, a therapy horse, dressed in his finest bejeweled outfit for the occasion), along with food and dessert, Reichert was heartened.
… more …
Patients find connection, community at first Seattle Children's prom
https://www.theolympian.com/news/state/washington/seattle/article315874807.htmlPatients find connection, community at first Seattle Children's prom
Elise Takahama, The Seattle Times The Tribune Content Agency Updated May 24, 2026 6:51 AM
For once, they were looking forward to being at the hospital. Many of the young patients had grown used to years of being in and out of Seattle Children's, facing rare diseases, developmental disorders, cancer diagnoses and other medical conditions. But on this warm May night, they arrived in high spirits. They were celebrating prom.
…
Adding to her enthusiasm was the discovery of her dress, a shiny scarlet gown donated to the hospital for the dance, along with more than 100 other dresses and suits from out-of-state vendors and local organizations, like Issaquah-based Ruby Room.
"My favorite color is red, so when I saw it, I was like, ‘That's my dress,' " Monica beamed. She and her sister, who live in Marysville, stayed glued to the dance floor last Saturday, twirling around with each other to 2010s pop songs. The event was made possible largely thanks to the support of donors and volunteers, Reichert said, noting a limited budget. With donations of corsages and boutonnieres, forest-themed decorations, a photo booth, a light-up dance floor, a DJ set, and a mini horse (Bass, a therapy horse, dressed in his finest bejeweled outfit for the occasion), along with food and dessert, Reichert was heartened.
… more …
Tens of Thousands Rally in Havana Against US Aggression as Cuba Prepares Citizens for War
https://www.commondreams.org/news/cuba-prepares-for-us-warTens of Thousands Rally in Havana Against US Aggression as Cuba Prepares Citizens for War
“Here we are prepared to fight imperialism,” said Cuban lawmaker Mariela Castro, daughter of Raúl Castro. “Cuba is a small and poor country, but one with experience confronting US imperialism.”
BRETT WILKINS
May 22, 2026
Tens of thousands of Cubans rallied Friday in Havana to denounce the Trump administration’s indictment of former President Raúl Castro and threats to attack the island nation, whose socialist government has been preparing its citizens to defend their homeland and revolution against US aggression.
“No disrespect is shown to the heroes of the homeland!” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said as people flooded the streets outside the US Embassy in Havana. “History and traditions are not insulted without a response! That does not happen in Cuba!”
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Memorial Day regards: Down by the Riverside · Sonny Terry · Brownie McGhee
https://m.&ra=mExperience: we found a baby on the subway - now he's our 26-year-old son
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/22/experience-found-baby-subway-now-26-year-old-sonExperience: we found a baby on the subway – now he’s our 26-year-old son
I was rushing towards the turnstile when I noticed a bundle of clothes in a corner. I walked over, peeled back a dark sweatshirt, and saw him.
Danny Stewart
Fri 22 May 2026 00.00 EDT
In the summer of 2000, I could never have imagined becoming a father. I was 34, living in New York City, with a good job in social care, but still in a tiny apartment. I had been with my partner, Pete, for just over three years; we were serious, but we didn’t live together. Becoming a parent was not on my radar.
One August evening, I had finished work late and was hurrying to a dinner reservation I had with Pete. I was rushing towards the turnstile at Union Square station when I noticed a bundle of clothes in a corner. I saw it move and stopped in my tracks. I walked over, peeled back a dark sweatshirt, and saw him: a newborn baby, with the umbilical cord still attached.
I was in shock. I sprinted up to the street and found a payphone to call 911. “I found a baby,” I blurted out. I rushed back to the platform and crouched down next to the baby. I stroked his head to comfort him but he pulled a face. “OK, you don’t like that,” I said. We stared at each other. My heart was racing.
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Pete’s written a memoir, and we also turned the story we wrote for Kevin into a children’s book and had a short animation made. We want other children to understand there are lots of ways to become a family.
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'I laughed out loud dozens of times': authors choose books to make you fall back in love with reading
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/may/23/i-laughed-out-loud-dozens-of-times-authors-choose-books-to-make-you-fall-back-in-love-with-reading‘I laughed out loud dozens of times’: authors choose books to make you fall back in love with reading
From a darkly comic new novel to a gripping 1950s memoir – Katherine Rundell, Malala Yousafzai, Matt Haig and others appearing at Hay festival pick titles to tempt you
Sat 23 May 2026 04.00 EDT
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(Just when you thought you’d read it all.)
(Long list. Also nonfiction)
(I choose The dark is rising/Susan Cooper. You?)
Resistance to Flock Cameras and Police Surveillance Is Exploding
https://truthout.org/articles/resistance-to-flock-cameras-and-police-surveillance-is-exploding/Resistance to Flock Cameras and Police Surveillance Is Exploding
Backlash to Flock cameras and AI systems is exploding after scandals, including police using the tech to stalk women.
By Mike Ludwig , TRUTHOUT
Published May 22, 2026
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Last week inside a packed city council chamber in Asheville, North Carolina, residents who had waited hours to share a public comment chanted “Shame! Shame! Shame!” as their elected leaders voted 6-1 to build a “real-time intelligence center” for local police. Unless the city changes course, police will soon have a “wall of screens” fed by high-tech cameras to monitor a city of 95,000 people.
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In Troy, New York, heated controversy over Flock cameras led the Republican mayor to declare a “state of emergency” to keep using the technology. The city council is now suing the mayor over her declaration as it considers putting legislative limits on the cameras. In Cleveland, Ohio, records unearthed by journalists this week show 160 immigration-related searches in Flock audit logs over a month-long period of the city’s Flock camera and surveillance drone network. The revelation comes months after city officials assured residents that protections were in place to prevent such searches and keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from exploiting the data for President Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
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In at least 16 recent cases, local police officers lost their jobs after accessing license plate reader data to stalk ex-partners or other romantic interests, according to the Institute for Justice. Internal investigations uncovered the abuse in only a few cases. Most of the cases came to light after victims reported the offending officers’ behavior to other police.
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Flock Safety claims its surveillance networks are not “mass surveillance.” The company says most data collected is deleted on a set schedule, but critics point out that data and camera footage is retained to train AIs and even sent overseas to be reviewed by gig workers.
… more .. warrantless surveillance…
Man accidentally walks runway at Australian Fashion Week while heading for swim
https://m.&ra=mTennessee school board member charged after calling teenage girl 'hot'
Tennessee school board member charged after calling teenage girl 'hot'
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/22/tennessee-school-board-charged-comments-teenager
Tennessee school board member charged after calling teenage girl ‘hot’
Keith Ervin, 59, was charged with assault after he told a student ‘God – you’re hot’ at a public meeting in April
Ramon Antonio Vargas
Fri 22 May 2026 05.00 EDT
An east Tennessee school board member who told a teenage girl, “God – you’re hot,” on video at a public meeting in April has been charged with assault.
State prosecutors on 18 May charged 59-year-old Keith Ervin under a Tennessee statute that outlaws “intentionally or knowingly [causing] physical contact with another [that] a reasonable person would regard … as extremely offensive or provocative”.
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She laughed uncomfortably as he leaned in and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, continuing, “Where do you go to school at?” She provided the name of her school, and he rejoined, “All right.”
Other people in the room could be heard laughing at the end of the exchange. And the Washington school district’s superintendent, Jerry Boyd, visibly smiled while on the other side of the student.
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(Rape culture)
Tennessee school board member charged after calling teenage girl 'hot'
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/22/tennessee-school-board-charged-comments-teenagerTennessee school board member charged after calling teenage girl ‘hot’
Keith Ervin, 59, was charged with assault after he told a student ‘God – you’re hot’ at a public meeting in April
Ramon Antonio Vargas
Fri 22 May 2026 05.00 EDT
An east Tennessee school board member who told a teenage girl, “God – you’re hot,” on video at a public meeting in April has been charged with assault.
State prosecutors on 18 May charged 59-year-old Keith Ervin under a Tennessee statute that outlaws “intentionally or knowingly [causing] physical contact with another [that] a reasonable person would regard … as extremely offensive or provocative”.
…
She laughed uncomfortably as he leaned in and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, continuing, “Where do you go to school at?” She provided the name of her school, and he rejoined, “All right.”
Other people in the room could be heard laughing at the end of the exchange. And the Washington school district’s superintendent, Jerry Boyd, visibly smiled while on the other side of the student.
… more …
(Rape culture)
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