Dave Awl

Lori Cannon, LGBTQ+ community icon who supported thousands living with HIV, dies at 74 - Windy City Times Lori Cannon, a longtime HIV/AIDS activist and driving force behind Chicago’s response to the AIDS crisis, has died at 74. Cannon died at home Sunday evening. More information, including a full obituary, will come soon. Cannon was known for her decades of service to Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community and people living with HIV/AIDS. She co-founded Open […]

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that there aren’t really any heroes in the world. Lori Cannon was the real deal. She saw people who needed taking care of, and she spent her life taking care of them. And she did all it with an unstoppable joy & humor. The world is a better place because she was in it.

It's gonna be the social highlight of the season! (For me, anyway.)

Looking forward to seeing friends & colleagues there as we raise funds to support MACA's ongoing work on behalf of moms living with HIV & their families throughout Illinois, including screening, treatment, case management & more.

Coming up later in the campaign: "Black Lung Disease Is the New Black"

Why HIV rates among Russian soldiers are soaring Since the invasion of Ukraine there has been a 20-fold rise in diagnoses in Russia’s army, showing ‘HIV is not just passed on in war through wounds and treatment’

This is a grim but fascinating story.

Payment Processors Are Pressuring Major Gaming Vendors to Pull LGBTQ+ and NSFW Titles Steam and Itch.io are removing a massive number of titles in response to a coordinated campaign from anti-porn activists.

I am increasingly valuing the coverage that Them magazine provides of LGBTQ+ news and politics stories. If you're not already following @them.us on Bluesky, I highly recommend it.

If the starvation of civilians in Gaza horrifies you, please call your US senators and demand they vote in favor of Sanders' resolutions to block weapons transfers to the Israeli government.

Find your reps here: reps.fyi

Also he can't be created or destroyed, only converted into Sam Energyface

Seriously, the thing that struck me when I first started reading your work regularly in the 90s was how much important factual information you were delivering that I just wasn't getting from news sources. And then your work led me to new and better sources of info.

To fight the Trump administration's war on solar, we have to get rid of dumb permitting requirements for putting panels on your roof and balcony. Australia and the EU have done this--time for our mayors and state legislatures to follow
www.motherjones.com/environment/...

This is why I launched my publication on ghost.io not substack. It's a nazi bar.

I agree; the right way to eat two chocolate bars is to stack one on top of the other and then open your mouth very tall

Et tu, Northwestern? This is disturbing and shameful.

I bet it's going to be some aard vark to get that cleaned up

Glad to do it! And also hoping I'll make it to the event and get a chance to say hello.

ICYMI, Roy Cooper is now on Bluesky!

A montage of three images. On the left is the book cover for Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders. On the right is a photo of Charlie Jane. In the middle it says, Women & Children First presents Charlie Jane Anders, Lessons in Magic and Disaster, Thursday, August 21st at 7 pm Central Time. 5233 North Clark Street.

Hey, look at this! The one and only @charliejane.bsky.social will be doing an in-store appearance for her latest book at Women & Children First bookstore here in Chicago! August 21, 7 pm.

Tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/lessons-in...

This whole flailing campaign to start a backlash against Pedro has been so shabby and transparent. It's just transphobes attacking him for being an ally.

@imleor.bsky.social, I’m curious whether you’ve ever written about these guys. Seems like they might be up your alley as a piece of Chicago postpunk music history. And the story has a fun twist to it.

London area friends!

Some brightness in the dark:

Ah, I see! I'm staying put in IL, but I have enough family members in NC these day that I have a stronger connection to the political scene there than I otherwise might.

He's running for US senator, after being NC governor for two terms (at which point he was term-limited out as gov). I'm expressing optimism about his senate run, since he's very popular in NC and it's an open seat now.

ComEd bills likely to remain high, as AI, data centers drain power Electricity consumers can’t catch a break as demand from Big Tech drives up costs.

Story from last week: increased energy demand from AI and data centers causing higher bills for ComEd customers, in case anyone doubted it.

Screenshot of an email. Logo at the top says Roy Cooper for North Carolina. Under that is a photo of Cooper. Text reads as follows. Hello, Dave, I'm Roy Cooper, and I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina. I believe that our brightest days are still ahead, but we have to work together to fix what's broken in Washington. Politicians in DC are running up our debt, ripping away our health care, disrespecting our veterans, cutting help for the poor and putting our Medicare at risk — just to give tax breaks to the very rich. I've had enough.

Good news from future senator Roy Cooper this morning, via email that just arrived in my inbox.

That's great, enjoy the show! I've never gotten to see him live.

YouTube video by Phil 'N' the Blanks - Topic Cold Love

Bonus: "Cold Love" (1982), one of my favorite Phil 'n' the Blanks songs that doesn't have an actual video, from their terrific second album Lands and Peoples. That edgy, spiky guitar riff just cooks. #NewWavers

Photo of Phillip Bimstein, smiling and holding up a tiny calico kitten next to his face.

Fun fact: Alongside his later career as an award-winning composer of classical music and chamber folk, Phillip Bimstein, the bandleader and namesake of Phil 'n' the Blanks, went on to serve two terms as mayor of the town of Springdale, Utah, where he eventually landed. His website is at bimstein.com

YouTube video by fastestfashion Phil 'N' The Blanks - Head Screwed On (1983)

🧵 #SaturdayNewWave: "Head Screwed On" (1983) by Chicago's homegrown #NewWavers, Phil 'n' the Blanks. Their energy was right on the line between punk & new wave, reminiscent of bands like Devo, The B-52's, and Romeo Void. I bet their budget for this video was about 50 bucks—but the song is fantastic.

Five minutes with Dave Cousins Chris Bell interview with Strawbs frontman Dave Cousins, from the archives of the now-defunct NZBC blog.

I've just remembered that I also interviewed the late David Cousins of Strawbs, who'd graciously replied to fan letters I sent him when I was a teenager in the 1970s! @paullecomtephoto.nz @locuslebe.bsky.social

89 cents per bucket. And look at how big those buckets are.