Amers

TIMELINE CLEANSE

I sort of read this one accidentally. It’s as bad as I feared but couldn’t look away

It’s really too bad that SCOTUS’s central project over the past 30 years has been interpreting the Bill of Rights as restrictively as possible (except for guns) bc by god what if The People had too much dadgum freedom, how would the government function

Fun fact: over 20 years ago, Charles Rossotti--then IRS commissioner--estimated that the average American was paying an involuntary, undisclosed 15% surcharge on their income taxes because the ultra-rich were engaging in mass tax avoidance like this.

Imagine how much higher that surcharge is now.

Looks useful, but they may not cover an important topic: if you need a #map for your book, where do you go? Many authors, faced with that question, have no idea where to start.

If that’s you, I can help! I draw maps for a living, and specialize in maps for academic books.

surprisedeelmaps.com

What better way to make an exciting announcement than with a #PuppyCart?

Jackson, Rory, Ruffus and Lane want to share that NHS was voted the first place winner of Best of Omaha's Pet Adoption category!

Let's celebrate by finding these sweet pups their forever homes today! 💜🐶

one thing i have not seen enough of is your dogs and cats tbh

It doesn’t matter what I think. Also, none of this would ever happen. But if I had a zillion dollars:

1. Run a “we do hard things” campaign across southern and rust belt states. Invest heavily in local, state and regional social infrastructure. Sponser later hours at a library, build a skate park…

any body see some good dogs in costumes visit for trick or treating

Folks, this is not normal! NC GOP Communications Director Matt Mercer threatens @propublica.org with retaliation from Trump if they publish a profile on Republican Chief Justice Paul Newby.

Only one thing left do now. Read the article 👇

Greg Newby

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Greg Newby, who led Project Gutenberg ( @gutenberg.org ) with passion and purpose. Greg’s belief in free and open access to knowledge continues to inspire us and so many others working to preserve our shared culture online. gutenberg.org/about/newby....

The Inspector General system is basically broken now. Most IGs have been fired, most positions remain vacant. Those who remain or would take the job pose no risk to holding the regime accountable.
Congress added more barriers to Trump firing IGs after his first term. He just ignored them.

A black husky with a white chest, feet, and snout grins open-mouthed in harness on a grassy trail. She's proud to be dryland mushing and proud to have her first picture book. THE DAY LEAP SOARED, out today!

Leap says thank you all for the kindest words on her pub day!!!

Happy wooo gotcha day!

Green sea turtle saved from extinction in major conservation victory - Oceanographic The green sea turtle has been rescued from extinction thanks to forty years of conservation and protection efforts, the IUCN has said.

Green sea turtles are making a comeback in the Pacific: nest counts on Australia’s Heron Island have risen, and populations across the Pacific now meet IUCN recovery thresholds, thanks to decades of protection, turtle-safe fishing, and community-led conservation.
buff.ly/sbvCO4v
#ShareGoodNewsToo

Part of White House Is Reduced to Rubble. Trump’s Ballroom Will Rise in Its Place.

No mention at all of the fact that Trump doesn't have the legal authority to do this, that plans haven't even been reviewed (because the office is closed for the government shutdown), that the size and cost estimates keep changing, etc., etc.

This remains the funniest way to hear about an internet outage, though.

Hope folks feel less alone today, that people join with others to take further and deeper actions, and that everyone fights like hell to protect those most vulnerable to this regime.

I threw together some links on the blog for different ways to send support. It's haphazard as info is still coming in from so many places, but I've linked to both ADN and Alaska Public Media's lists of organizations, plus added a few that they didn't* list.

tonichelle.blogspot.com/2025/10/how-...

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy

Sunday reading:

I wrote about the aggrieved extremist who is currently firing thousands of federal workers and ravaging state capacity based on conspiratorial nonsense - and about mainstream media’s infuriating tendency to sanitize Russell Vought and the regime he serves.

This week’s piece:

Wishing everyone a good week ahead. Take care of yourselves and don't give in to the fascists.

We need a bigger national spotlight on this building raid, fam. Agents dropped from helicopters onto the roof. Citizens and non-citizens alike were dragged from their homes in the night. People who weren't kidnapped during the raid had their belongings seized after the fact. This is madness.

Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post, and the Cost of Speaking Out As Saudi Arabia hosts comedians and courts gamers, the silenced voice of Jamal Khashoggi still echoes.

Washington Post dismantled the platform Jamal wrote on. Discarded the fellowship they created in his memory.

They fired me unjustly for speaking the truth.

But I’ll never stop talking about my friend, writer, and amazing human, Jamal Khashoggi.

RIP, Jamal.

open.substack.com/pub/karenatt...

Tortoise with pumpkin guts on his beak and chin. His mouth is wide open like he's cheering

IT'S PUMPKIN SEASON, BETCHES

If you're in the U.S. and haven't gotten the 2025-2026 COVID vaccine yet, experts are recommending you schedule it NOW before Friday.

If you live in a Republican-controlled state, I STRONGLY recommend you get it before Friday if you can, before the ACIP restricts access.

#COVID19

To sum up: the President is not enforcing the law about TikTok access in order to structure the timing and sale of another giant social media platform to his political allies.

A tortie cat lies on her back on a colorful rug offering her fluffy belly and looking at the camera

Here. Maybe this will help

i wrote this post in july two years ago when blue sky had around 200,000 total users and i thought i would ask again

tell me what u are doing
be proud of what u do and share it here

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

Just a reminder to check for your name in this list of books that OpenAI trained from. If your name is there, they probably owe you several thousand dollars.

OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.