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I had a great conversation with today! I love Waj and I think you may enjoy this discussion! Enjoy!
Woke up at 7:15 AM after hitting snooze on my alarm for a while. I forgot to put my faucets on dripping, but they didn’t freeze. Apparently, I slept through a minor earthquake (3.5).
I want Oliver corralled when I try to get the dogs in. Oliver and Lily took the bait and went down in the basement. The dogs don’t want to come in yet even though it’s freaking cold. They still don’t want to come in. So much for my shower this morning. They finally came in. Silly dogs. They don't appear to have icicles hanging off of them :) It's cold upstairs, so I'm blasting my space heater.
I'm thinking that I want a nap over lunch, so I guess that I'll take a quick shower after work.
My Dad's response about whether we are heading into a recession:
I have found a set of cheaper skin care that might be good: Clinique. I'll give it a try. I ordered their cleanser and eye cream. I have a lot of moisturizer to use up before ordering theirs.
The dogs understand the word “nap”. I told Oliver that I was going to take a nap, and the dogs headed to the bedroom. Had a nice nap.
Off of work. Showered, but it’s 6:30 PM, and I just let the dogs out, and I need to feed everyone. Instead of getting the Kia jump-started, I’m going to get up early and get the registration tag for the Honda, and stop at the Post Office to mail my check.
When I think about earthquakes, I think of the “Pretty Big One,” the Loma Prieta quake when I was living in California. I looked it up on Wikipedia, and it led to some national broadcasts about it at the time. Art Agnos was the mayor of San Francisco then, and I looked him up. That led to a 30-year retrospective of the quake that I want to watch.
That also reminded me that I didn’t realize that the quake was national news when it happened. I guess that I was in shock. When I got home, our cable was out, so I was listening to the radio. I got a station out of Santa Cruz, and it made the damage sound pretty bad (as it was there). Then the national news came on, and they made it sound like the entire Bay Area was in ruins, and it was only then that I started to call my parents to let them know that I was okay. I couldn’t get through to them for a couple of days.
I did watch the 30-year retrospective of the quake. It was quite good. P.S. I'm glad that Bookshop Santa Cruz is still going strong. That's a great store.
Somehow my phone's USB port got water in it, and it's telling me to let it dry before charging it. That's a problem because I use it as an alarm. I just set up my Sharper Image travel alarm to use. I hope that it will wake me up.
I need to get up early to get the car's registration renewed and my check mailed. So I'm going to go to bed soon.
I want Oliver corralled when I try to get the dogs in. Oliver and Lily took the bait and went down in the basement. The dogs don’t want to come in yet even though it’s freaking cold. They still don’t want to come in. So much for my shower this morning. They finally came in. Silly dogs. They don't appear to have icicles hanging off of them :) It's cold upstairs, so I'm blasting my space heater.
I'm thinking that I want a nap over lunch, so I guess that I'll take a quick shower after work.
My Dad's response about whether we are heading into a recession:
Based on what I'm seeing about the economy it's quite likely. Recessions/Depressions are caused by economic sector imbalances. New upcoming sectors need to do a lot of hiring. To get the manpower they bid up what people are being paid, this causes a migration from "old" sectors to "new" sectors (and inflation). Companies in old sectors which are marginal (not very profitable) tend to fail because losing employees pushes them over the edge. Things begin to settle down, and the new sectors find that they overhired and lay off the extra people, which causes unemployment to spike more. The unemployed default on loans, adding to defaults of the old failing companies. This causes problems in the financial sector, resulting in failures. The failures result in not enough financing being available, which causes interest rates to rise. That in turn causes additional failures in various economic sectors.
The magnitude of the out of balances determines whether the result is a recession (mild) or a depression (severe).
I have found a set of cheaper skin care that might be good: Clinique. I'll give it a try. I ordered their cleanser and eye cream. I have a lot of moisturizer to use up before ordering theirs.
The dogs understand the word “nap”. I told Oliver that I was going to take a nap, and the dogs headed to the bedroom. Had a nice nap.
Off of work. Showered, but it’s 6:30 PM, and I just let the dogs out, and I need to feed everyone. Instead of getting the Kia jump-started, I’m going to get up early and get the registration tag for the Honda, and stop at the Post Office to mail my check.
When I think about earthquakes, I think of the “Pretty Big One,” the Loma Prieta quake when I was living in California. I looked it up on Wikipedia, and it led to some national broadcasts about it at the time. Art Agnos was the mayor of San Francisco then, and I looked him up. That led to a 30-year retrospective of the quake that I want to watch.
That also reminded me that I didn’t realize that the quake was national news when it happened. I guess that I was in shock. When I got home, our cable was out, so I was listening to the radio. I got a station out of Santa Cruz, and it made the damage sound pretty bad (as it was there). Then the national news came on, and they made it sound like the entire Bay Area was in ruins, and it was only then that I started to call my parents to let them know that I was okay. I couldn’t get through to them for a couple of days.
I did watch the 30-year retrospective of the quake. It was quite good. P.S. I'm glad that Bookshop Santa Cruz is still going strong. That's a great store.
Somehow my phone's USB port got water in it, and it's telling me to let it dry before charging it. That's a problem because I use it as an alarm. I just set up my Sharper Image travel alarm to use. I hope that it will wake me up.
I need to get up early to get the car's registration renewed and my check mailed. So I'm going to go to bed soon.
Life is Strange: Reunion trailer.
Holy fucking shit. After Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which I am pretty sure I am the only person on the entire internet who actually really loved it, warts and all, underperformed financially (plus the state of the gaming industry in 2025/2026), I was so sure we weren't getting a follow up — regardless of the Max Caulfield Will Return at the end.
I am so excited.
I hear Ashly Burch!
So, like, I previously said that the story was fine without Chloe; not having her around allowed Max to grow as a protagonist. But I am so ready to just have all my emotions punched in the face by whatever this game has in store for me! (As long as it isn't a complete sanitisation of the original game's ending.) I'm very happy to see the DE characters sticking around, too.
Hopefully some of the temporal messiness/dropped plotlines from DE can be addressed here. I mean, I doubt it. But it would be nice.
I legitimately had no idea this was happening. March, hurry up and get here!!!
Holy fucking shit. After Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which I am pretty sure I am the only person on the entire internet who actually really loved it, warts and all, underperformed financially (plus the state of the gaming industry in 2025/2026), I was so sure we weren't getting a follow up — regardless of the Max Caulfield Will Return at the end.
I am so excited.
Trailer spoilers ahhhhh
I hear Ashly Burch!
So, like, I previously said that the story was fine without Chloe; not having her around allowed Max to grow as a protagonist. But I am so ready to just have all my emotions punched in the face by whatever this game has in store for me! (As long as it isn't a complete sanitisation of the original game's ending.) I'm very happy to see the DE characters sticking around, too.
Hopefully some of the temporal messiness/dropped plotlines from DE can be addressed here. I mean, I doubt it. But it would be nice.
I legitimately had no idea this was happening. March, hurry up and get here!!!
Public
354/365: Real Ale Tavern, Bewdley
Click for a larger, sharper image
...here is tonight's rather belated photo. This is the Real Ale Tavern, a rather boringly named pub in Bewdley. And yes, it is known as the Rat sometimes! The building was once Barclays Bank – I can remember it being that – but it's been a pub for some years now. To the left you can just see part of the HealthPoint Pharmacy; to the right you can just see the side road that leads to the town centre car parks.
354/365: Real Ale Tavern, Bewdley
Click for a larger, sharper image
...here is tonight's rather belated photo. This is the Real Ale Tavern, a rather boringly named pub in Bewdley. And yes, it is known as the Rat sometimes! The building was once Barclays Bank – I can remember it being that – but it's been a pub for some years now. To the left you can just see part of the HealthPoint Pharmacy; to the right you can just see the side road that leads to the town centre car parks.
Poll #34102 Snow
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 56
After the snow has fallen, sometimes it looks like more snow is falling when the wind blows it off of trees and roofs. Do you have a word or specific phrase for this?
View Answers
Yes, and I'll tell you in the comments
7 (13.2%)
No, but I've heard some people use a term which I'll tell you in the comments
1 (1.9%)
No
40 (75.5%)
No - I don't live where it snows and am unfamiliar with this phenomenon
5 (9.4%)
Clicky?
( Read more... )
An explanation of US military perspective and behavior re illegal orders [mil/US, Ω]
Jan. 20th, 2026 07:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sidereaI found this intriguing. YouTuber KnittingCultLady, who is an Air Force veteran and author about two books on military culture from the standpoint of cults(!), put out this rather frustrated video clarifying how members of the military respond to illegal orders. The tl;dr is they will follow orders of ambiguous legality, and refuse to follow orders of obvious illegality, and what is obviously illegal may not be what civilians think.
2026 Jan 18: KnittingCultLady on YT: Some Examples of Recent Malicious Compliance from the Military, ALSO Listen Carefully To My Words:
She doesn't put it this way, but it sounds from what she says that what makes something obviously illegal is that it resulted in a courtmartial or other nigh-universal condemnation when tried previously. Orders that are for doing things that are war crimes by the letter of the law but which did not result in prosecution or other negative consequences for the perpetrators when done in the past do not trigger the sense that they are illegal, e.g. if it was okay for Bush to seize Noriega, then clearly it must be legal for Trump to seize Maduro.
2026 Jan 18: KnittingCultLady on YT: Some Examples of Recent Malicious Compliance from the Military, ALSO Listen Carefully To My Words:
She doesn't put it this way, but it sounds from what she says that what makes something obviously illegal is that it resulted in a courtmartial or other nigh-universal condemnation when tried previously. Orders that are for doing things that are war crimes by the letter of the law but which did not result in prosecution or other negative consequences for the perpetrators when done in the past do not trigger the sense that they are illegal, e.g. if it was okay for Bush to seize Noriega, then clearly it must be legal for Trump to seize Maduro.
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⌈ Secret Post #6955 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 23 secrets from Secret Submission Post #993.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Reminder for locals in Minneapolis: The general strike is scheduled for 2026 January 23 Friday.
People are posting photos and stories of cars left abandoned in the middle of neighborhood streets or on the side of highways after ICE took away their occupants. I can't remember if I've mentioned it already, but since ICE is taking unfair advantage of "public space" to enter businesses and arrest shoppers or employees (even after benefiting from the staff's labor first), some businesses are closing the public space. One grocery store I visit locks the doors now, so patrons have to wait for staff to unlock the door to let them enter or exit. A local business magazine tells this story about statewide business changes, including this new practice of locking the doors. Local KSTP News aired this piece about business closures in downtown Minneapolis. When our plutocrats notice, then something might finally change.
You know it's bad when local police from various cities have to hold a press conference to tell the public (paraphrased), "Please, stop hating on us because we're not the ones committing these obviously unconstitutional crimes. Our own off-duty officers are being racially targeted for illegal harassment by ICE."
Click to read details about today's tiring tasks...
I had yesterday off from work due to national holiday (ironically MLK Day), and I scheduled vacation for today and tomorrow. I didn't know when I requested the vacation days that I wouldn't get to sleep excessively and play computer games during all of my waking hours. I didn't know that instead of rest and relaxation, I'd need to organize myself to protest my country's turn to fascism.
On the plus side, I walked to the library, printed out my informational notices for neighbors (and got my Prince library card because they still had some available!), walked to the store to buy nylon cord for whistle necklaces, and walked around my block delivering every single paper notice and a few requested whistles.
I'm disappointed that I'm getting too old for this resistance effort. Everything hurts now: feet, waist, back, hands. I had to go find my arthritis cream for my hands while I was trying to tie knots in the cord for the whistles and notices.
When I was leaving a house that I believe to include Native Americans, I saw a car stopped directly in front of that sidewalk, with what I guess to be a Native American person at the wheel, staring at me. Hopefully they calm down once they finally check their mailbox and see my note. In better news, one of my neighbors offered eggs to me from their chickens, so I'll have to talk to them another day and learn how that process should go. I didn't think to ask for details at the time. I left a notice at every house, even the one with the NRA sticker on the door.
But, at least it's all done now. Within a 1-block radius of my house, I know homes that include each of the currently-targeted ethnic identities: hispanic, asian, native american, and somali. I hope these notices (redacted here for sharing publicly) that I delivered can help in at least some small way, and it isn't just me spinning in circles wondering what to do.
Assignments have now been sent out!
We'll post initial pinch hits as soon as we can, keeping in mind the AO3 downtime. Happy drabbling!
- The deadline is Saturday, January 31 @ 11:59pm Eastern Standard time (Countdown). If your assignment has not been submitted to AO3 by then, you will be defaulted.
- If your recipient did not request a fandom, character, and drabble type you offered, please contact the mods at seasonsofdrabbles AT gmail.com ASAP.
- If you need to default, please do so via the button on AO3.
- For the requirements your drabble must meet, please see our guidelines. The collection is moderated and we will be doing a brief check of submitted works before admitting them into the collection. If we see an issue, we will contact you through email.
- If you write a drabble for a fandom in the tagset but it doesn't fit anyone's request, you may post it to the collection anyway, with no recipient.
We'll post initial pinch hits as soon as we can, keeping in mind the AO3 downtime. Happy drabbling!
The wind chill when I left today was -16°C. Now it's up to a toasty -9°C and tomorrow it will get to almost above freezing! ...and then on Friday it'll drop down to -22°C overnight. Welp.
This morning I overthrew my entire usual days in the office tradition and, rather than have a traditional Japanese breakfast with rice and pickles and miso soup, I had avocado toast and Greek yogurt with raspberries and almonds on it. Much more filling, honestly, but not something I want to do every day. There's something nice about being able to take the already-made shiozake out of the fridge, crack the rice cooker open to get the already-hot rice... Just enough time-saving to let me enjoy my mornings.
I went to the work canteen today and got a meal from Taste of China and it made me put another category in my Notes app list of work restaurants. Right now I have "Restaurants Yes" (home to places like Tandoor Char House) and "Restaurants No." I ordered mabo dōfu with egg fried rice and...it was fine. Worth the $9 I spent on it, I guess. I'll think about it when I see it in the future. And when I realized I had that reaction, I made a "Restaurants Maybe" list and put it on there. We'll see what else gets put there.
Tomorrow is a soul food restaurant and, well, no thanks. Nothing against soul food, I just don't trust that I can eat any of it. Maybe if Michael Twitty cooked it for me.
This morning I overthrew my entire usual days in the office tradition and, rather than have a traditional Japanese breakfast with rice and pickles and miso soup, I had avocado toast and Greek yogurt with raspberries and almonds on it. Much more filling, honestly, but not something I want to do every day. There's something nice about being able to take the already-made shiozake out of the fridge, crack the rice cooker open to get the already-hot rice... Just enough time-saving to let me enjoy my mornings.
I went to the work canteen today and got a meal from Taste of China and it made me put another category in my Notes app list of work restaurants. Right now I have "Restaurants Yes" (home to places like Tandoor Char House) and "Restaurants No." I ordered mabo dōfu with egg fried rice and...it was fine. Worth the $9 I spent on it, I guess. I'll think about it when I see it in the future. And when I realized I had that reaction, I made a "Restaurants Maybe" list and put it on there. We'll see what else gets put there.
Tomorrow is a soul food restaurant and, well, no thanks. Nothing against soul food, I just don't trust that I can eat any of it. Maybe if Michael Twitty cooked it for me.
So I wrote about the conference on Clark Ashton Smith that I attended. I've now had the chance to follow a link that I took note of during the panels. It's a (virtually?) complete file of Smith's writings online. If you've never tried his writings, here's your chance. One story of his that I found searingly memorable will make a bracing introduction to whether Smith is an author for you. Unusually for Smith, the main character of this one is the hero, not the villain, but nothing goes well for anybody in this story. I'm reminded as much of Tiptree's "The Last Flight of Dr. Ain" as of anything else by this story.
so why. why why why. Do I so often come across fic where the author clearly a) doesn't have any idea how far apart two places are, or how to get from one to the other, and b) never thought to check google maps?
Just read a fic where one character is thinking that "it's only an 8-hour plane ride!"
and. I have driven basically between those two places.
It's a 6-hour drive unless traffic is really bad. if you hit the most congested bits exactly at rush hour, it might take you 8 hours. to drive.
Flying? Well, if you were starting at a small regional airport and needed to make a connection, it might take you four hours.
I actually mind this shit more than the big stuff. The big stuff is hard to research. Google Maps is really really quick and easy.
Just read a fic where one character is thinking that "it's only an 8-hour plane ride!"
and. I have driven basically between those two places.
It's a 6-hour drive unless traffic is really bad. if you hit the most congested bits exactly at rush hour, it might take you 8 hours. to drive.
Flying? Well, if you were starting at a small regional airport and needed to make a connection, it might take you four hours.
I actually mind this shit more than the big stuff. The big stuff is hard to research. Google Maps is really really quick and easy.
Public
History will really not be kind to the people who could have stopped this, some of them years ago, people who were not True Believers but who refused to act when they could.
Cowards.
History will really not be kind to the people who could have stopped this, some of them years ago, people who were not True Believers but who refused to act when they could.
Cowards.
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.
I hope you had as good a three-day weekend as possible under the current circumstances. It’s rough out there.
I, for one, attended a glorious protest in Northeast Los Angeles on Sunday evening. I hope many of you were able to attend a similar local event—it’s so restorative! I arrived feeling depleted, and left absolutely walking on air! Big or small, protests really pour Miracle Grow on one’s resolve, don’t they?
And we will need such resolve, as it seems that Democrats in Congress are once again failing us. I’m hearing credible rumors that they are poised to cave on the DHS funding bill, making a “deal” that contains virtually no meaningful restrictions on ICE.
From the DC Download:
The deal cuts ICE’s enforcement and removal funding by $115 million. It also makes new investments in body cameras and de-escalation training, alongside new transparency requirements. Because the Homeland Security bill does not include more guardrails on ICE that Democrats sought, House leaders agreed to hold a separate vote on DHS to keep the larger deal on track even if Democrats defect on that measure. Even with a negotiated deal in hand, the final votes will be the real test—and could expose fractures among Democratic and Republican lawmakers over a bill that sits at the center of the immigration fight.
$115 million is, of course, a laughably small amount to an agency with 145B in funding. Body cameras and de-escalation training are, as we know, wholly ineffective. “Transparency requirements” won’t save a single person from having their life destroyed—or taken—by ICE. This is weak tea, indeed.
While we are in the minority and therefore limited in what we can achieve, this settlement for the bare minimum shows a lack of resolve, an unwillingness to actually fight, and a stunning lack of imagination on Democratic leadership’s part. It provides more irrefutable proof that Schumer and Jeffries are unfit for the job.
We will keep calling and demanding a better deal until the thing is done, of course, because that’s what we do. It sounds, however, like it may be a fait accompli.
Look. The Democratic party is the one we vote for—we have no choice—but it doesn’t mean that they will be the ones to save us. We already knew they wouldn’t. WE will save us. If that weren’t entirely clear before, it is now.
The good news is that we can save us. We will do so by calling our representatives and pushing them to do better, yes. But we will also do it through nonviolent resistance (read this Jay Kuo piece on that, by the way—it’s wonderful.) We will do it through economic boycotts. Through massive protests. Through Visibility Brigades. Through billboards. Through elections. And more!
We can and will use every peaceful lever at our disposal. We must.
It’s a disappointing way to start the week, folks, but we’ve been here before. We know how to keep trudging even when Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries let us down—heck if we didn’t we’d have given up long ago!
We will save us. We are saving us. We, together, are the heroes we’ve been waiting for.
So let’s get to work one more time.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
[If your Senator is a Democrat start with this:]
First, I am appalled that Democrats are caving on the DHS spending package. Extracting no meaningful concessions when they actually have leverage is a slap in the face to every US resident being devastated by ICE’s abuses. Democrats must get a better deal. They also need new leadership and they need it now.
[Then to all:]
I am horrified at the letter Trump just sent to Norway. His pathetic obsession with the Nobel Prize, his decision to send a letter that’s made us a global laughingstock, and his inability to distinguish between Norway and Denmark all show him to be unfit for office. It’s time for the 25th amendment.
In the meantime Congress needs to make clear to Trump and the world that the US will not be invading Greenland. They should pass a War Powers Resolution at once, and/or the NATO Unity Protection Act, which would bar the use of Defense or State Department funds to attack a NATO member. Congress needs to re-assert its power before we’re in World War III.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
[If your rep is a Democrat start with this:]
First, I am appalled that Democrats are caving on the DHS spending package. Extracting no meaningful concessions when we actually have leverage is a slap in the face to every US resident being devastated by ICE’s abuses. Democrats must get a better deal. They also need new leadership and they need it now.
[Then to all:]
First, I am horrified at the letter Trump just sent to Norway. His pathetic obsession with the Nobel Prize, his decision to send a letter that’s made us a global laughingstock, and his inability to distinguish between Norway and Denmark all show him to be unfit for office. It’s time for the 25th amendment.
In the meantime Congress needs to make clear to Trump and the world that the US will not be invading Greenland. Pass a War Powers Resolution at once, and/or the No Funds for NATO Invasion Act, to prohibit the use of federal funds for an invasion of any NATO member state or NATO-protected territory. Congress needs to re-assert its power before we’re in World War III.
Extra Credit ✅
[H/T Chris Armitage—read the full piece here]
Since there’s still been no action on arresting Jonathan Ross let’s call the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office at 612-348-5550. Tell them you want Mary Moriarty to issue an arrest warrant for Jonathan Ross. Tell them that if she won’t use the authority she has, she should resign and let someone else do the job. If you get voicemail, leave a message. If the line is busy, call back.
If you can’t get through by phone, email citizeninfo@hennepin.us (I made a quick- send email that you can send by clicking here BUT PLEASE PERSONALIZE AND SIGN!) or write to 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487. Find Moriarty on social media at @MaryMoriarty or the official office account @HennepinAtty. The office is also on Facebook at facebook.com/HennepinAttorney and Instagram at @HennepinAttorney.
One prosecution won’t fix everything. But it plants a flag. It proves there’s still a rule of law. Not just a ruler.
P.S. — You can and should also call your State and Local Prosecutors and demand they commit to prosecuting ICE crimes. A wonderful toolkit to help you do so is here, courtesy of the terrific .
Extra Extra Credit! ✅✅
Section 401 of the Clean Water Act has historically given state and tribal governments the authority to challenge large energy projects with long-term impacts on water quality, like oil and gas pipelines. But under Trump’s proposed new rule, states and tribes would only be able to consider the immediate water quality impacts of a project when choosing to approve or reject it, regardless of long-term impacts.
Climate Action Now has made it really easy to comment on this rule by going here. Please do so!
Get Smart on Voting Rights! 📚
Right now, the Supreme Court is considering a decision that could take away a core American freedom: the right to fair and equal representation.
This case is part of a broader push to weaken protections that have stopped politicians from drawing voting maps designed to silence Black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and Native communities.
If these protections are weakened, politicians across the country would be given a green light to rig elections by manipulating maps, making it harder for communities of color, especially across the South, to choose leaders who reflect their needs and fight for their families; from affordable housing and health care to good jobs and strong public schools, there will be immediate harms people will face.
That’s why the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition is hosting a virtual call to break down what’s at stake and how people can act. This call will prepare volunteers, advocates, and concerned community members to stand up for fair representation, defend our freedom to vote, and mobilize at the local, state, and federal levels. Our voices matter, and together, we can make sure they are heard.
Wednesday, January 21 at 8PM ET
Get Smart on ICE in MN! 🧊
Join Big Tent USA today, Tuesday, January 20 at 7pm ET for a timely virtual conversation with public policy analyst and creator of the The Existentialist Republic newsletter Christopher Armitage (he suggested the Extra Credit action above!) and political strategist and co-founder of The Lincoln Project Reed Galen, as we unpack what’s happening with ICE enforcement and federal immigration operations, including the recent fatal shooting in Minneapolis and the broader national response. With protests, policy clashes, and urgent questions about the rule of law and democratic accountability in the balance, this discussion will explore the implications of these events and what Americans can do to push back, advocate for accountability, and protect civil liberties.
This one-hour virtual event will combine expert analysis with actionable takeaways for civic engagement at a pivotal moment for our democracy.
Get in the Streets! 🪧
Minnesota activists are holding a BIG day of action this Friday, and are asking allies across the country to hold solidarity actions to keep the focus on ICE’s brutality in the state and advance the call to get ICE out of our cities now. As soon as I know more I’ll post it here. And if you’re in MN please check out the website to learn what’s happening!
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
The Plastic Problem: Solutions for Greener Living
Thursday, Jan 22 at 12PM PT / 3PM ET
Plastics and PFAS are everywhere—from our food containers to our clothing. Join Green America to learn about the hidden health risks of these materials in your everyday life and discover practical, affordable solutions to create a safer home for your family. We’ll cover easy swaps, what to avoid, and actionable steps you can take today. Plus, bring your questions for our live Q&A!
~All registrants will receive the recording by email or you can find it on our youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Iamagreenamerican
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T Rogan’s List] [Text SIGN PTCKBJ to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
It’s becoming impossible to ignore that the Trump Administration is extremely serious about their bizarre fantasies of conquering Greenland. They are openly and explicitly threatening the use of military force.
Let’s talk plainly: Donald Trump is suggesting he’ll send our young men and women into battle, to fight and kill and die, against NATO.
There’s no polite way to express how outrageous this is. These are the Putin-esque battle cries of a rogue state, threatening wars of conquest against anyone who does not bend to their will.
This all may sound great to corporate interests and Trump’s billionaire donors, one of whom gave him the whole idea for annexation. But this is a war the American people don’t want to conquer people who don’t want to be Americans aimed at goals that can be easily served by working with Greenlanders and Denmark instead of treating them like enemies. It would be a waste of resources at a time when the White House is claiming we can’t afford to make health care and child care affordable. The threats alone are shattering the alliance that helped us win the Cold War.
As your constituent, I am asking you to immediately publicly denounce the threat of military action against another NATO state and to reject any push to annex Greenland. I am also urging you to commit to supporting any upcoming war powers resolution to block an invasion, and to support Senator Ruben Gallego’s amendment to the defense appropriations bill and use the government funding process to prevent our money from being used to attack or purchase Greenland.
Enough is enough. No more forever wars.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
I had a two hour phone conversation with a friend yesterday who I hadn't heard from in a couple of months. Really enjoyed taking to my friend.
I noticed a weird mistake in the House episode "Maternity" that I never noticed before. Although the episode clearly takes place over only a few days, House says it's December in the middle of the episode but at the end of the episode the dialogue between House and the obstetrician indicates it's late October!
I noticed a weird mistake in the House episode "Maternity" that I never noticed before. Although the episode clearly takes place over only a few days, House says it's December in the middle of the episode but at the end of the episode the dialogue between House and the obstetrician indicates it's late October!
Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.
Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?
There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.
This Week's Question: What are your crafting goals for 2026?
If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.
I now declare this Check-In OPEN!
