Laura D. G.

A brown and tan tabby cat crouches under a wooden desk on a tan carpet.

Today, in a departure from the normal routine of trying to claw my throat while in meetings, Tiger had a prolonged disagreement with me about appropriate places to clean herself (not on my mouse pad was my preference) and then sulked when I did not capitulate. #CatDrama #WFHPets

A tabby cat sits on a gray blanket.

Her cuddle buddy passed away over the weekend, so we are practicing our villain poses. This seems like a good time to start the origin story arc.

Two children dissect owl pellets using tweezers.

Drove two hours to a college open house for the younger chaos gremlin. Both gremlins dissected owl pellets; yes the contents came home with us. Not pictured: the dogs, rabbits, cattle petted, as well as the cannulated cow (younger chaos gremlin was very happy to feel cow rumen) #4HVetScience

Two hermit crabs, one in a smooth blue shell and one in a spiky cream and red-brown shell face each other on a bed of moss.

I am convinced the crabs get together at noon every day to plot. #WorldDomination #carcinization #HermitCrabs #Plotting

AAP speaks out against HHS report on gender dysphoria, infringement on physician-patient relationship AAP President Susan J. Kressly, M.D., FAAP, questioned the credibility of the report and said the AAP would continue to support pediatricians and the well-being of all children.

At a time when many are bending a knee, the American Academy of Pediatrics takes a strong stance against the government’s interference with evidence based medicine. First with false and misleading information about vaccines, now false and misleading information about kids with gender dysphoria.

Do you know how much CEO pay has skyrocketed since 1978?

100%? 500%?

Try 1,085%

Meanwhile, the $7.25/hr fed. minimum wage hasn't budged in 15 years and the tipped min. wage has been $2.13/hr since 1991.

This is what I mean when I say the system is rigged.

GLORIOUS juvenile vermillion flycatcher video:

-Taken at golden hour

-Crisp

-The juvenile scratches **FEET FANS!!**

-The juvenile begs for food with full tongue in fair

-The adult male feeds

-The adult male flies off

Can't ask for more. 🪶 🐣

Reminder: Impeachment is the legal, nonviolent route to removing a President.

It is the path that the Constitution provides to protect democracy.

Impeachment is the remedy when a President commits impeachable offenses.

It's that simple.

Beyond offensive that American officials are trying to boost the AfD and undermine the German constitutional order. It’s a concerted effort now to boost fascism globally.

Former Weather Service Leaders Warn Staffing Cuts Could Lead to ‘Loss of Life’ The former agency directors say current employees will face an “impossible task” to maintain service just as hurricane season begins.

Five former National Weather Service directors have taken the unusual step of signing onto an open letter warning that cuts to the organization by the Trump administration may soon endanger lives.

Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...

FYI: The Spencer Foundation, Kapor Foundation, The William T. Grant Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have collaborated to offer $25K rapid response grants.

"This rapid response bridge funding opportunity is for scholars and teams whose grants have recently been cancelled by NSF."

'Looking a lot worse': Republicans at a loss trying to sell Trump’s tax plan to voters Republicans in Congress are running into a brick wall when trying to pitch a 10-year extension of President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts to their constituents back home.That's according to a Friday ar...

'Looking a lot worse': Republicans at a loss trying to sell Trump’s tax plan to voters

www.alternet.org/republicans-...

'Irresponsible': Dems grumble as leadership ditches their roles House Democrats are privately disgruntled as key committee leaders for their caucus are planning an exit for various reasons, just months after they were appointed, Axios reported on Friday afternoon....

'Irresponsible': Dems grumble as leadership ditches their roles

www.rawstory.com/house-democr...

The plan is to break the parks, claim they must be privatized, take them from the American people and give them to their friends.

RFK Jr. Orders Search for New Measles Treatments Instead of Urging Vaccination Decades of research have turned up no miracle treatment for measles, but studies show the M.M.R. shot is 97 percent effective in preventing the disease.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will direct federal health agencies to explore potential new treatments for measles as the U.S. faces its largest outbreak in 25 years. Experts fear the decision could have grave consequences, as studies show the existing vaccine is 97% effective in preventing infection.

This is horrifying.

Trump is testing his ability to impose totalitarian rule on the United States. He & his Republican henchmen are traitors.

IF WE TOLERATE THIS, WE LOSE EVERYTHING.

Get in the streets. Rise up. Fight this tyranny, or live in fear. If he can arrest a governor, he can arrest you.

Trump Is Suddenly Bleeding Independents. A Brutal New Poll Shows Why. Immigration was his best issue in the polls. But now he’s sinking on it. Maybe Americans care about the rule of law after all.

A genuine backlash to Trump’s ethno-nationalist authoritarianism may be starting to take shape on its own terms.

Here are the poll’s key findings:

Redbud flowers with water droplets on a background of a tan privacy fence and a pale gray-blue sky.

Lovely :) I offer a very soggy redbud after our last thunder storm that soaked my entire yard and made it impossible to mow, again, for the third weekend in a row.

Had a body part removed this week. The 16 year old’s suggestion? Ask if I could keep it. Apparently it would look really cool to have a uterus preserved in my bedroom, biohazardous status notwithstanding. It’s not really my style 🤣 #MacabreTeens #GothButMakeItPink

When They Don’t Recognize You Anymore (Gift Article) People with dementia often forget even close family members as the disease advances. “It can throw people into an existential crisis,” one expert said.

Dr. Kristie Wood, a former UT graduate student, had her dissertation research on dementia featured in the New York Times! Read the full article here: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/h...

After the rain, winding down a relaxing Easter. If you observe, I hope your day was a reminder of the hope we have in the Resurrection. If you do not observe, I hope you had a restful day in the midst of the chaos.

#HeIsRisen

A reminder that if the government can send migrants to a prison camp without any due process, it can send U.S. citizens there, too. I know because this happened to me and my family in 1942.

A tan reversible tote bag with stationery, a book, and a scarf sits in front of irises.

A burgundy book, pink flowers, and two pen holders, one pink and rainbow striped and one pink plaid and burgundy floral patterned on a brown fabric background.

Today I crafted, put together a “basket” for the 4-H silent auction, and procrastinated any LinkedIn Learning I said I was going to do.
#CraftingIsBetter #FlowersAndBooks #Ashendon #BeARedHen

Nuclear Bomb Staffers on Energy Agency’s 8,500-Job ‘Non-Essential’ List The US Energy Department has identified 8,500 jobs as “non-essential” — including positions that oversee the nation’s stockpile of nuclear weapons — as it prepares to cut employees in response to a ma...

The US Energy Department has identified 8,500 jobs as “non-essential” — including positions that oversee the nation’s stockpile of nuclear weapons — as it prepares to cut employees in response to a mandate from Elon Musk’s government efficiency team.

This, right here, is why tariffs cause depressions.

April 4, 2025 The stock market rout continued today.

April 4, 2025

Pretty easy mental exercise before invoking the schadenfreude of FAFO is to ask who exactly fucked around and who exactly is finding out.

👍

In the Academy and the Legal World, It’s Time to Stay and Fight Stay or run? Let’s not presume this is a simple question or that everyone’s situation is the same. But I know who my heroes are.

UVA professor Siva Vaidhyanathan makes the case for sticking by America—and fighting for it.

"My family chose this country in the late twentieth century, so to abandon it when it is most in need would betray my father’s dreams and hopes. We love this country deeply because we chose it."

Waltz’s team set up at least 20 Signal group chats for crises across the world It’s a more extensive use of the app than previously reported and sheds new light on how commonly the Trump administration’s national security team relies on Signal.

🚨 NEW via POLITICO: Waltz’s team set up at least 20 Signal group chats for crises across the world

Mike Waltz’s team used at least 20 Signal chats to coordinate official work on Ukraine, China, Gaza, and more—often discussing sensitive info.

This goes way beyond what was previously known.