gallagher1454

[gallagher1454]

Great list of books for gamers. And yes, the passive-aggressive final entry is beautiful.

Console-free Camping

If you like to play The Last of Us, then try Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

If you like to play Beyond: Two Souls, then try The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

If you like to play Call of Duty: Black Ops (Zombies), then try World War Z by Max Brooks

If you like playing Grand Theft Auto, then try American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

If you like playing Sid Meier’s Civilization, then try A Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

If you like playing Final Fantasy, try playing Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

If you like playing Mass Effect, then try Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

If you like playing Alice: Madness Returns, then try Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

If you like playing Halo, then try Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein

If you like playing Portal, then try House Of Stairs by William Sleator

If you like playing Mario Kart, then try The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia 

If you like playing Dark Souls, then try Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

If you like playing Life Is Strange, then try We Are Okay by Nina Lacour

If you like playing Stardew Valley, then try How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

If you like playing Fable, then try Young Elites by Marie Lu

If you like playing Borderlands, then try Velocity by Chris Wooding

If you like playing Dishonored, then try Airman by Eoin Colfer

If you like playing The Oregon Trail, then try Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

If you like playing the Elder Scrolls series, then try The Naming by Alison Croggon

If you like playing Red Dead Redemption, then try Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

If you like playing Bioshock, then try  Dark Life by Kat Falls

If you like playing Fallout, then try Razorland by Ann Aguirre 

If you like playing Assasin’s Creed, then try The Way of Shadows Night by Brent Weeks

If you like playing Dragonage, then try Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

If you like playing The Legend of Zelda, then try Graceling by Kristin Cashore

If you like playing Until Dawn, then try Ten by Gretchen McNeil

If you like playing Sonic, then try Maximum Ride by James Patterson

If you like playing Overwatch, then try Bluescreen by Dan Wells

If you like playing Uncharted, then try Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

If you like playing Pokemon, then try Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by JK Rowling, and Newt Scamander

If you like playing Mario Party, then try Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

[gallagher1454]

[gallagher1454]

America is not unique in the bribery and sketchy lobbying but its fascination with gun culture and its fixation on its "wild west" fantasy is truly bizarre.

[gallagher1454]

La Machine. Part 3. I apologise for the lens flares. I am not trying to be JJ Abrams.

[gallagher1454]

La Machine. Part two.

[gallagher1454]

La Machine. First time in Canada. The crowds were huge, so I am guessing a lot of people left disappointed that they didn't get much of a view. We lucked out and had Long ma the horse dragon and Kumo the spider face off right in front of us.

[gallagher1454]

wow.. I relate to this so much. :'(

[gallagher1454]

Happy birthday to my old boy. He is 15 today.

[gallagher1454]

As a Canadian, I have always viewed my country as flawed but reasonable. During my life so far, no matter which political leaning was in power, Canada has remained a mostly open and tolerant nation. We have our faults and failings. We have a lot of damaged bridges that need to be fixed within our own borders. Incidents such as this attack on the mosque in Quebec City are few but they do happen. And it hurts. It hurts the whole of the nation to see these atrocities committed here. We are a country which I believe is taking control of our failings and making an honest effort to make reparations. I believe that we are a nation to which other nations look as setting an example of the beauty and depth that multiculturalism has to offer when we accept and respect one another without bias or prejudice. Attacks like this show that we have a long way to go. Our resolve to not allow intolerance, hatred and bigotry set us back or divide us will stand strong. Truly, I have been touched by the outpouring of support and solidarity shown by my friends and people I know and follow all around the world. I do not speak for my government and I do not speak for my nation, but for myself, I condemn this heinous and cowardly attack on innocent people and thank my friends for supporting and standing up against hatred no matter where it comes from.

[gallagher1454]

Fight for science and research. Fight for facts that are peer reviewed and backed by evidence.

you know what to do.

[gallagher1454]

Mental Health Day part 2

It has been my experience that when people talk about a subject a lot, as a society, two things happen. First and most importantly, the information spreads quickly and resources become available. Second and unfortunately, people who are not immediately affected or who are decidedly against the conversation, stop listening. We see this with the “stop smoking” campaigns. No matter how much information is made available, some people are simply not interested. We see this with the climate change portfolio. Not just with climate change deniers, but also with those who simple tune out and don’t care because it will be someone else’s problem.

Mental health issues have the same problem. Talking about it is not always comfortable or easy. Many people simply walk away or tune out because it is easier than listening or getting involved. Breast cancer research is a mainstay of cancer fundraising. They spent decades of constant, in your face, campaigning to get there. No matter who was uncomfortable, no matter who wanted to change the subject, they kept pushing until the topic was an open discussion and the people who squeal at “boobs” were silenced.

Our friends at McCormick Wands, make a good point about it being all well and good taking about mental illness today on #bellletstalkday, but this is something that needs to be talked about every day. Parents and children, siblings, cousins, students and counsellors, patients and doctors, close friends, colleagues, *everyone* should be having this discussion.

Keep the topic of mental illness going until the stigma and discomfort of the topic is broken and people are no longer hiding it, feeling ashamed and isolated, or lying about it just because they feel that it would be a bother to the people around them.

[gallagher1454]

Mental Health Day.

Today is a day where we use our voices and social media to break the stigma of mental illness. Depression, anxiety, stress, bipolar, OCD, eating disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADD/ADHD and Autism spectrum disorders affect millions of people regularly, every day. The health care industry struggles with, not only the diagnosis of these conditions, but also the proper care and treatment. There is help. There are resources. There are people there who understand and care. People struggling with mental illnesses are not broken, they are not damaged. They are not lesser because of their struggle. By recognising and understanding these conditions and their effects on people's lives, we help people cope with situations and make life a little bit easier. In Canada, the Canadian Mental Health Association has provincial chapters: http://www.cmha.ca/get-involved/find-your-cmha/ local authorities also have resources available. In the USA there are national numbers available: http://www.healthyplace.com/…/mental-health-hotline-number…/ I am sure various states have their own resources as well. In the UK there is a resource page: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/ In Australia: https://mhaustralia.org/need-help In New Zealand: https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/get-help/in-crisis/ I know that countries around the world have suicide and mental health crisis lines available and I encourage all households to have these numbers handy. Emergencies can call 911 or the national equivalent (112, 999, 111, 000, etc)

[gallagher1454]

This is worth repeating.. a thousand times over. As a left leaning Canadian who values the input of science this was a dark and difficult time for everyone in the country.

A required read from Michael Oman-Reagan.

This is all true. This all happened in Canada, and its very likely it will happen in the USA under Trump and be worse than Harper’s crackdown on Science ever was.

Links cited in this twitter essay:

The Big Chill: “Scientists Can’t Do the Job They Were Hired to Do”

More than 1000 Jobs Lost, Climate Program Hit Hard in Coming Environment Canada Cuts

Leaked document says Canadian federal climate scientists being blocked from media contact

Harper Government Trashes Another Federal Science Library

Federal scientists closely monitored during polar conference

Science Silenced: US Scientist Caught in Canadian Muzzle Climate-change scientists feel ‘muzzled’ by Ottawa: Documents

The Canadian War on Science: A long, unexaggerated, devastating chronological indictment

http://ourrighttoknow.ca/

http://write2know.ca/

https://evidencefordemocracy.ca

[gallagher1454]

I am always available to talk and offer support to anyone in the community who needs it.

reblog if your inbox is open to any lgbtq+ kids who need to talk over the holidays

[gallagher1454]

American Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the USA. Please remember the families struggling to make ends meet who will not be enjoying a "feast" today. Please remember the people fighting for their land rights and water safety at Standing Rock in the face of politicians eager only to help oil companies increase their profits. Please remember the refugees and immigrants who may face deportation with the incoming administration. Please remember the LGBTA community facing the reversal of 40 years of fighting for equality and recognition as people with equal rights. Please remember the Muslim families who have faced increased violence and live with the threat of Nazi-style registration. Please remember that in the country which claims to be the land of liberty and opportunity and the land of the free, not all people are free, not all people have opportunity and not all people have cause to give thanks today.

[gallagher1454]

Leonard Cohen

The loss of a music legend. Leonard Cohen gone at 82. He recently released a new album, but in a relatively recent interview he commented that he was ready to go. I wasn't a *huge* fan, but he had a number of recordings that I truly enjoyed.

[gallagher1454]

This is important. Trump gives validation to all the hate that has been building up in the USA for decades. The potential for increased violence against minorities throughout the US is astounding and it pains me to know that the autthorities are not likely to help the victims in many areas. I hope that people stay safe.

Like it literally doesn’t matter if Trump can’t do any of the impossible, illegal things he’s promised. It doesn’t matter, because as soon as a platform built on hate is validated in this way, culture changes. Britain the morning after the Brexit vote was a different place. It wasn’t just the measurable rise in hate crimes and plummeting economy, it was people feeling free to say all the ugliest things they’d ever thought because they knew at least half the country was behind them.

In the coming days and months, please stay safe. Please never stop fighting for a better world. This won’t be forever.