cam rodriguez 🔎

some days at the paragraph factory are more existential than others

"The annual income needed to afford monthly payments on a median-priced home in the US was $126,670 in 2024—a 60% jump from $79,330 in 2021, according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Meanwhile the US median household income was $80,610 in 2023"

I’m the Guy Who Wears Jeans in the Summer, and You’ll Never Get Me to Admit That I’m Burning Up Boy, this sure is some heatwave we’re having, huh? Not that it bothers me one bit, as you can tell by the fact that I’m dressed like James Dean in ...

"Everyone needs a thing, and for me that thing is stubbornly refusing to dress according to the forecast and pretending that my legs don’t feel like two encased sausages slowly roasting inside one of those 7-Eleven rolling grills."

Moving on with my day after a great yoga class. Today's affirmation: "I don’t waste time trying to bring disagreeable people around to like me."

California Priests Said They’ve Made ICE Agents ‘Scatter.’ Can Clergy Do the Same in Texas? In response to President Trump’s mass deportations, Catholic church leaders have stepped into the fray of Texas immigration court — to lend a shoulder, to bear witness, and to deter “nefarious acts.”

In response to mass deportations, Catholic church leaders have stepped into the fray — to lend a shoulder, to bear witness, and to deter “the more nefarious acts that are taking place in immigration courts around the country.”

It’s already made a difference.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/08/11/c...

Abrupt Closure of Illinois-Based Newspaper Chain Leaves Dozens of Communities Without a News Source News Media Corp., which owns local newspapers across five states, said it will close 14 operations in Wyoming, seven in Illinois, five in Arizona, four in South Dakota and one in Nebraska.

News Media Corp., which owns local newspapers across five states, said it will close 14 operations in Wyoming, seven in Illinois, five in Arizona, four in South Dakota and one in Nebraska. news.wttw.com/2025/08/08/a...

finally had an MRI where I could listen to music with the cool headphones and Foster the People ended up being an INCREDIBLE choice because the MRI noises blended well with the music lol

the stage at the Metro lit in red lights with Foster the People

a stage at the Salt Shed lit in red lights with the lead singer of Cage the Elephant

two aftershows (cage the elephant & foster the people) done!!!! 🔥🫡

Data manipulation within the US Federal Government A US Department of Veterans Affairs dataset compiling veteran health-care use in 2021 was quietly amended on March 5, 2025. A column titled gender was renamed sex, and the words were also switched in ...

Lancet study looked at 232 federal datasets from HHS, CDC, Veterans Affairs. Since Jan 20, half had been substantially altered. Of these, the vast majority (106 datasets, 93%) had "gender" switched to "sex." Only 15 (13%) of the altered datasets logged or otherwise indicated the change had occurred

New: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it is shutting down

cpb.org/pressroom/Co...

FOIA exemptions.

Screenshot of the linked Daily Beast story that shows Epstein met a girl at Interlochen arts camp

Photo of me, Olivia, at Interlochen arts camp at the age of 13

Honestly this really shook me, and I’d missed it before. The screenshot from this Daily Beast story (written by the phenomenal Michael Daly) shows Epstein meeting a victim in 1994 at the same arts camp I attended as a 13-year-old (second photo is me) for years

www.thedailybeast.com/how-epstein-...

determinate is a VERY good song for deadline writing

unironically listening to the lemonade mouth soundtrack

With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.

Journalist Discovers Google Vulnerability That Allowed People to Disappear Specific Pages From Search Negative articles about a tech CEO vanished from Google after someone made fraudulent requests using the Refresh Outdated Content Tool.

This is extremely bad: Journalist Jack Poulson discovered a vulnerability in Google that was being exploited to get his reporting about a CEO deleted off of the search rankings.

This is a wet dream for reputation management companies, censorious regimes, etc

www.404media.co/journalist-d...

and also don't you dare be young and in a waiting room because loooooooooooooooooool. anyway. just complaining

or like wdym if i come in too informed then i am discounted but if i come in with no questions whatsoever then i'm doing myself a disservice and ok see ya in 6 months

gotta say that hunting for a diagnosis for chronic health issues is like... at least one of my top 5 least favorite things. because wdym the very special specialist that the other specialist wants me to see, who only works three days a week and only focuses on one thing, is booked up until October

Let’s Ban More Nonexistent Things Some notes for the Clear Skies Act, which seeks to ban weather modification

let’s ban more things that don’t exist

superman movie target demo.... Midwestern journalist comic fans.... hmm....

folks! i have two (2) tickets to see Foster the People at their Lolla aftershow next Saturday that I'm trying to find a home for. $54/each, which is what I got them for! Show's at Metro, doors at 10, starts at 11.

help me find a home for 'em!

I think this is cage x4 for me. maybe? and every time it is insane and awesome and cathartic and good 🔥🔥🔥🔥

it hit me in the face this morning that I am seeing CAGE THE ELEPHANT NEXT WEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!1!1!1!1!1!!!

It’s crazy that they decided there were no baseball games tonight. Just nothing at all on the schedule tonight. That’s wild.

5-12 is diabolical

Lookingglass is honoring the 1919 race riot victims with a lakefront performance Sunday. blockclubchi.co/4o7TZR7

How Trans Journalists Can Stay Safe and Well While Changing Their Bylines - The Open Notebook Changing a name is a very personal decision. Unfortunately for trans journalists, it’s a decision that has to occur in public. Changing a byline can mitigate the abuse and harassment that trans journa...

"Honoring a trans journalist’s byline (and pronouns) is not just professional courtesy," writes @rosebroderick.bsky.social in this important, authoritative guide with ‪@evanurquhart.bsky.social‬, @transjournalists.org‬'s Kae Petrin, and others. 🧪

which circle of hell is the emergency vet at 12:20 am

anyway this spun up quickly and it's wild seeing the loop just totally dry right now!!!