elle59

But take your allergy meds first!

There are creepy people everywhere. I get friend requests on another site constantly because my job is highly visible. If they seem legit, I allow it. But if they start sending me DMs without spelling out why, exactly, they need a conversation with me, they are insta-blocked.

Yep, there's no crisis. I don't want to be around people online that I wouldn't allow into my home. We've had eight years to create meaningful change through dialog, but brick walls don't change or learn. The exercise is futile and the frustration is an unnecessary distraction.

A word of caution about starter packs. For some reason I ended up on someone's list of spammers, which is funny because I've never spammed anything in my life. So be sure you trust the person who is making these lists to be doing their due diligence. I'm mainly just here to read.

Thanksgiving meal with Turkey, dressing, vegetables and Prosecco, on an oak table with placemats and accent lamps.

I hope everyone here in the US had a nice Thanksgiving. My month included lots of difficult things that are nobody's real business. Losses, conflicts, fears, depression, dreams deferred, and my own stubborn nature.

But this was our dinner yesterday, and I know I have a lot to be thankful for.

Both.

It seems like the same sort of algorithmic nightmare that Facebook runs with, so it should be no surprise. Suppress content so that people with an interest in standing out will pay for views.

It's Steve Bannon, but with lots of money to buy shiny things. Kind of terrifying.

100% agree. Paywalls keep the good info from the ones who need it most. That's not to suggest that there's never bad info behind a paywall, but there definitely an information inequity going on.

I would love to develop a list of independent news sites that are open access. I'm happy to donate to those on a regular basis if they're reporting accurate facts. If you know of good places that anyone can access, please LMK. 2/2

I understand that good journalism costs money, but I also feel that paywalls are part of what keeps a majority of people in their news bubbles. Many of the sites I try to read are subscriber based, and even a person who is relatively comfortable can't be subscribed to all of them. 1/2

Bluestasis?

Trying to follow people back, but they aren't sticking. I'll try later. Lots of glitches here with all the new folks but I'm patient.

That has always been Meta's gambit. Throttle content then get you to pay to reach your followers. It's why Facebook is now just a sea of sponsored ads.

Trying to follow everyone back but I may have missed some. If you were missed, let me know.

Hmm...we know what happens to oligarchs who fall out of Putin's favor. They also fall out of windows. This is Putin's playbook so I'm thinking he might want to stay on the first floor.

These are the people who whine about the weaponization of justice after they've done crimes, while also planning to weaponize the justice system to go after their opponents and those who noticed that they broke the law. Mind boggling.

A really interesting spaghetti sauce?

Great. Just when I was considering going above board with my severe depression and seeking medical assistance it looks like doing that will put me in jail. Yay USA! Guess I'll stick with my OTC meds and try to resist starving myself for a while longer.

IIRC, co-presidenting didn't go well for Bannon, so I'm hopeful it won't go well here. But I could be wrong, I'm just a bunch of donuts.

Injustice for all.

I always followed tons more people there than followed me. I'm not very interesting, I guess, but I'm hoping to do better here than I did there in terms of activity level. I bailed "X" fairly soon after Muskrat took over. I like this option.

Testing this function. Seems to work.

📌

This has been the plan all along. When Pelosi said all roads lead to Putin, she was not wrong.

Indeed it is. How people couldn't see it, I can't fathom. It was clear for miles.

This is Putin's playbook. He's justified the Ukraine invasion by claiming they are terrorists. Thing are going to get ugly here.

It is difficult to celebrate Veteran's Day when all they fought for is being dismantled while half of America cheers.

Well, I'm back, after several months of not checking in here. I'm trying to find informative, left-leaning accounts to follow, so if you see this and you'd like to engage with a like-minded friend, please follow my account and I'll reciprocate.

I just popped back on after several months. A few friends have become active here so I guess I will try to stick around and see what I can make of it. Sorry for the very late reply!