Kevin Kostuik

XKCD meaning of auroras cartoon, showing "normal" at poles, "cool and exciting" in temperate zone, "someone should go check on our satellites" in subtropics, and "A bunch of open questions in Solar-Terrestrial physics are about to be answered" at the tropics

Tapping the XKCD sign again to explain that no, I won't be seeing an aurora tonight. Or at least I really hope not. That would be bad. :)

Thank you 🙏

I have never eaten this much raw fish in one day before. I hope it ends well.

when you wear a size 9.5 shoe but the 8.5 was on sale

The spirit of DC right now.

Tombstone of "A Gay Vietnam Veteran" "When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one" Never again 6 July 1943 Never forget 23 June 1988

This is the resting site of Technical Sergeant Leonard Phillip Matlovich.

Race relations instructor, and recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

He purposefully outted himself as gay to fight their ban, the first to do so.

This is what real courage looks like.

Happy Veterans Day

#Pinks

Unlike you, I can read and that’s why I know what the constitution says.

Every time you capitulate to a bully, they'll come back at you twice as brutally.

If you didn't learn this life lesson in third grade, GTFO of the US Senate.

In the most predictable development ever, Mike Johnson is not committing to hold a House vote on ACA subsidies

Democratic leaders failed us again. Time to get some new leaders. Indivisible's weekly newsletter with analysis and action

We just launched the biggest primary program in Indivisible’s history. Help us (literally) send Schumer and the surrender caucus a message. open.substack.com/pub/ezralevi...

🚨 💰 WOW — @SenatorHagerty & @MarshaBlackburn snuck a provision into the spending bill that would let them sue the government for $500,000 because Jack Smith looked into their phone records around Trump’s insurrection.

The Republican grifting is endless. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...

We tried to show them after the last surrender. There's no sense in trying to convince them anymore. Primaries are the only path to a fighting opposition party now.

My family has been without half our income for 40 days. It has been.. very hard.

We are willing to feel that pain so people can have health care next year, or to undo these illegal recissions.

We are not willing to have been put through this for NOTHING.

We don’t need another coward

'A Slap in the Face': Federal Employees Feel Betrayed by Democrats' Shutdown Cave "I would rather be an actual pawn. At least pawn sacrifices are calculated and achieve something."

I heard from a bunch of federal employees last night and this morning. They aren't happy.

"I would rather be an actual pawn. At least pawn sacrifices are calculated and achieve something. All this for a fucking meaningless vote."

Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage

Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage

“This was a very very bad vote”

American politics makes a lot more sense when you realize that the GOP is afraid of pissing off the GOP base, and the Dems are afraid of pissing off the GOP base, but neither party is afraid of pissing off the Dem base.

I’ve said this b4, but here’s a little inside baseball from a former Republican: Back in my GOP days, we Republicans would privately laugh at how Democrats would never go to the mat to win. We always knew Democrats wouldn’t fight to the death politically.

Last night proved Republicans right again.

Anyway a great way to radicalize people is for them to realize that you just abandoned their chance at being able to access and afford health care because you didn’t like waiting in line at the airport.

The Night of the Eight Traitors

Still no sure which of these sad sacks was most pathetic in "explaining" the cave in.

So far, I think it's a tie between King, and Hassan.

(But unfair contest, because we didn't get to hear from Fetterman or Durbin.)

How many developed nations are less prepared for this moment than the Democrats? Any competent nation dedicates teams to psychological profiles, influence/financial maps, game theory analyses, war games, and a strategy playbook. Bolivia is better prepared than Schumer and senior Dem leadership.

What a shame you are @schumer.senate.gov. Your weakness and betrayal will be remembered in history. Stand down so someone with strategy and integrity can do your job and work to save our democracy.

Listening to these pathetic rationalizations from King, Hassan, Shaheen, whoever else they have queued up.

Disappointed that they're not having windup speech by Sen. Neville Chamberlain.

-Oct 18, more than 7 million Americans stand up and stand together.

-Nov 4, millions of Dems turn out for landslide wins in VA, NJ, NY, CA, GA, many other places.

-Nov 9, eight "Dems" say "Oh, this nice Mike Johnson and Mr. Trump say they care about health. If they don't, well shame on them..."

Senate reaches deal on ending the shutdown Democrats are coalescing around a bipartisan agreement to fund the government.

This is not a deal — it's an empty promise.

Trump and his Republican Congress are making healthcare more expensive for the middle class and ending it for working families.

Time for Democrats to stand tall for affordable healthcare. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

The corruption never ends

Shaheen is retiring. Hassan, 67, is the other Senator from NH. King, 81, from Maine, is an independent who usually caucuses with Dems.

So, three Senators, two of which are so old as to be/should be retiring, from the whitest states in the country are defying the House...for what exactly?

Any Democrat who "trusts" notoriously deceitful Republicans to keep their word on an ACA vote deal is too naive/stupid to be in office.

Let's fix that next time they are up for election. #PrimaryTheIdiots