“Why do I need NOAA? I’ve got a weather app.”
Is equivalent to asking
“Why do I need farms? I can go to the supermarket.”
I am happy to see many this year carrying on the tradition of posting their #SuperbOwl photos. I'll be sharing a few this #SuperbOwlSunday as always, and lets start with this gang of Snowy Owls I photographed in 2012. They look like they are about to get up to no good.
Republicans seek to create permanent underclasses who will never have intergenerational social mobility.
Withholding opportunity is how it's done.
Voter suppression
https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/how-id-requirements-harm-marginalized-communities-and-their-right-to-vote/
https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/block-the-vote-voter-suppression-in-2020
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression_in_the_United_States
Felony disenfranchisement
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony_disenfranchisement_in_the_United_States
https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njlsp/vol19/iss2/6/
Destroying regulations
https://theintercept.com/2022/06/30/supreme-court-epa-climate-charles-koch/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subprime_mortgage_crisis
Undermining public education
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/10/16/koch-network-says-it-wants-remake-public-education-that-means-destroying-it-says-author-new-book-billionaire-brothers/
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/30/kochs-public-schools-shakeup-244259
1/3
Another detail out of FDA. The agency has removed pages which provide guidance to medical researchers on conducting medical trials with representative numbers of men and women and ethnic and/or racial minority groups
Many medications and/or diseases or conditions present differently in men and woman and in people with different genetic backgrounds.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/medical-trial-guidance-scrubbed
Eyebrow raising article on #LaFires :
Why were so many firetrucks in California old and out of order?
Private equity consolidated the firetruck market, increased scarcity, and jacked up prices.
https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/did-a-private-equity-fire-truck-roll
#Wildfires #California #Capitalism #Neoliberalism #Climate #ClimateCrisis #AntiTrust #Economics #USA
How Segregated Are Your Local Private Schools? We Made a Tool to Help You Find Out.
—
Our reporters mined a trove of data that revealed detailed demographic information about private schools. That helped us find illuminating stories about how those schools divide communities.
The war on "woke" is actually a war on workers. Like Musk before him, Zuckerberg appears to resent the people who work for him and make him rich. @AmandaMarcotte https://www.salon.com/2025/01/17/the-tech-billionaire-on-woke-is-really-targeting-workers/
Lawmakers in at least seven states are filing more than a dozen bills to expand abortion access.
Some were introduced in direct response to ProPublica’s reporting on the fatal consequences of abortion bans.
“I’ve never heard of a body temperature that high, including in a deceased person.”
So why was her death blamed on drugs? And how many others like her are out there?
New today from @deceleration:
https://www.texasobserver.org/body-126-degrees-medical-examiner-autopsy/
#ClimateChange #health #environment #SanAntonio #SouthTexas #Texas #politics #USpol #news
The potential extinction of Florida's ancient scrub mint isn't just a loss for one species—it's a blow to entire ecosystems. From scrub jays to bee flies, countless creatures rely on this plant. A botanical curator explains why it matters: https://theconversation.com/plants-that-evolved-in-florida-over-millennia-now-face-extinction-and-lack-protection-233627 #climatechange #botany #pliocene
Tulsa Massacre Was a ‘Coordinated, Military-Style Attack,’ Federal Report Says
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/11/us/tulsa-race-massacre-report.html?unlocked_article_code=1.oU4.Nd7q.uK9WZ2oE7wcj&smid=url-share
#Tulsa #TulsaMassacre #WhiteSupremacy #Racism #History #Whiteness #Race #GOP #GOPRacism
Another thing.
#Altadena is a historically Black neighborhood. Tied into the work that John Brown’s sons did after his death and their migration west, along with being a free state, Altadena #California was one of the only cities to outlaw redlining, allowing Black families to purchase houses in the developing area.
This is why so many legendary African Americans come from this area - from Octavia to the directorial icon John Singleton.
It’s devastating on several levels.
North Carolina Supreme Court Blocked Certification of a Justice’s Win. Activists Fear It’s “Dangerous for Democracy.”
—
The move gives the court time to consider a challenge by Republican Jefferson Griffin, who has cited debunked legal theories in his previous failed attempts to block Justice Allison Riggs’ reelection.
For those who would like to support Ann in any little way, you can buy her book, "Trump's ABC" here:
https://www.fantagraphics.com/products/trumps-abc
This was from 2018 and is now very relevant again. Trust me, you'll love it.
You'll find a roadmap for The Indie Beat here https://theindiebeat.fm/roadmap/
And here's a detailed update from Ben at Bandwagon https://bandwagon.fm/67564da504431a2c35b67fde
We're both super keen to get feedback from artists and listeners. And we're excited about the larger ecosystem we hope grows from our model of federating
Happy New Year fedifriends!
I'm excited to officially announce the launch of TheIndieBeat.fm, a streaming radio station showcasing indie #music from the Fediverse.
The Indie Beat Radio is made possible through a collaboration with Bandwagon.fm / @benpate
Music artists who upload their work to Bandwagon.fm have the option to make tracks available for streaming on TheIndieBeat.fm
Our goal is to use federation to make less work for artists — upload once; distribute infinitely.
PROPUBLICA on how just a few BILLIONAIRES HAVE AVOIDED PAYING MEDICARE TAXES and saved over US $1.3B in the process.
The article is both an overview and names names among the billionaire class who abuse this tax loophole.
https://www.propublica.org/article/billionaires-net-investment-income-tax
#propublica #taxes #republicans #taxcheats #taxevasion #ultrawealthy #irs
Retired Analytical Chemist
League of Women Voters -voting methods, election security
Board Member Colorado Citizens for Science