Texas Observer cartoonist Ben Sargent takes on redistricting.
Read our analysis of #Republicans' plans from Justin Miller: texasobserver.org/disorder-in-โฆ
#comics #voting #elections #democracy #politics #USpol #Texas #Trump
Rules of the Robe
A sharp-eyed retiree uncovered evidence of judicial misconduct by the chief judge of Houstonโs busy bankruptcy court. The unusual story highlights how other complaints against judges go ignored.Lise Olsen (The Texas Observer)
A question for all of you on the #Fediverse (and especially #Musicians, #Writers, and #Artists) who sell your work online:
Do you know how you receive payments right now?
I want to connect the most fedi-friendly platforms into #Bandwagon, #Emissary, and beyond.. so I'd love to hear what works best for you :)
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๐ด Seph ๐ญ ๐พ
— (STL, MO, US, Earth)
The image features a man in a blue suit and red tie, wearing a red cap with white text that reads "TAMPA BAY CRYSTAL GARDENS." He is raising both fists in a gesture of triumph. Behind him is a futuristic-looking electric vehicle with a geometric design, resembling a Tesla Cybertruck. The sky is clear and blue, and the text "MAKING AUTOMOBILES GREAT AGAIN" is prominently displayed at the top of the image, along with the logo and name "THE DAILY SIGNAL" below it. The overall composition suggests a promotional or political message related to the automotive industry.
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I've noticed a lot of advice for dealing with self-isolation tends to be individual-centered. You need to reach out to your friends. You need to find reasons to leave the house. To some degree this makes sense: self-isolation can put you in a place where you have to take your first steps toward healing all by yourself. But this deluge of individual advice can also reinforce the feelings of "I am all alone in the world".
I wanna try something different so I'm putting out a question to anyone suffering from avoidance or self-isolation problems: what are some ways you wish other people would accommodate your needs better? Slash what are some good things people are already doing to help you?
The image features two photographs of a man in a suit, one showing him speaking and the other playing a grand piano. The text overlay reads: "Today, I saw a video clip of Pete Buttigieg playing classical piano. Another where he speaks in Spanish. And then thereโs the one where he tells Parisians he shares their pain โ IN FRENCH. It doesnโt have to be Buttigieg, but just imagine how nice itโd be to have a President whose intellect exceeds that of a root vegetable." The text is presented in a bold, black font against a white background, with the photographs positioned on either side of the text.
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Hereโs my #introduction.
I am a climate scientist who studies the ocean carbon cycle and marine COโ removal (#mCDR).
Iโm a professor at University of Hawaiสปi at Mฤnoa. Iโm also a co-founder and Chief Science Officer at [C]Worthy, which is creating open source tools for monitoring, reporting, and verification (#MRV) of mCDR.
According to the New York Times, here are my interests.
nytimes.com/explain/2022/04/22โฆ
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Man, I love this.
Original post: bsky.app/profile/did:plc:hkamsโฆ
#jimmykimmellive #LateShow #stephencolbert #hollywood
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The image features a screenshot of a news broadcast with a person in a suit and tie seated in front of a backdrop that includes the American flag and a blue flag with a yellow star, likely representing the European Union. The text at the top reads "TRUMP YESTERDAY:" followed by a quote: "Wind energy doesn't work. You need subsidy for wind. Energy should not need subsidy." Below this, a yellow banner with bold red text states "FACT CHECK:" and provides information about subsidies: "In the past 25 years, renewable energy has received about $350 billion in direct and indirect subsidies. In the same period of time, fossil fuels have received $2.5 TRILLION in indirect and direct subsidies." The image concludes with a bold statement in yellow text: "DUMBEST PRESIDENT EVER!" The overall layout is designed to highlight the contrast between the initial statement and the fact-check, using contrasting colors and bold fonts to emphasize the message.
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Video of US contractors cheering after firing at Gaza civilians ignites fury online | Middle East Eye
middleeasteye.net/trending/furโฆ
Video of US contractors cheering after firing at Gaza civilians ignites fury online
A new Associated Press (AP) reportย detailing how American contractors guarding aid distribution sites used live ammunition, stun grenades and pepper spray against starving Palestinians seeking food has sparked fierce criticism online.Imene Guiza (Middle East Eye)
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The Seattle Mariners Have Teamed Up With Everfree Northwest
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic News, Brony and bronies, my little pony merchandise, pony art, pony music, pony mediawww.equestriadaily.com
The image features a black background with white and yellow text. The text is arranged in a block format, with the first line in white text stating, "You're not mad that someone ELSE might soon make $15/hr." The second line, also in white, reads, "You're mad because YOU should be making $25 or $35 and you SHOULD be mad." The word "Refocus" is highlighted in yellow. The following lines continue in white text, stating, "Your enemy isn't the poor person who is finally getting a few more crumbs." The final line, in yellow text, reads, "Your enemy is the billionaire who is been robbing you of a fair living wage all these years." The text is centered and uses a bold, sans-serif font, making it easy to read against the black background.
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Drone drops electric bike to help Ukrainian soldier escape Russians
In one of the most innovative battlefield escapes to date, a Ukrainian soldier managed to flee Russian encirclement thanks to...Micah Toll (Electrek)
Makes sense.
"The monsters who benefit from the status quo don't want you to know this. They want to brainwash you with Margaret Thatcher's mantra, "There is no such thing as society." They want you to think that you are a pathetic, atomized individual. They want you to die in a heatwave while gasping out your profound regret for not recycling more diligently and taking more care with your "carbon footprint." They want you to drive around for hours looking for an independent cardboard seller to make your protest sign with, convinced that it's more important to avoid shopping on Amazon than it is to actually show up at the protest outside the Amazon warehouse. They want you to curse yourself for failing to cycle and take the bus in your city where there are no bike lanes and the buses run every 45 minutes and stop at 8PM. If you wanted a livable city, you should have made better consumption choices! Perhaps you could dig your own subway, ever think of that, hmmm?
You, me and everyone we know have all been subjected to a 40-year blitz of anti-solidaristic propaganda, aimed at convincing us that we are only allowed to fight the system as individuals. Don't like your health care? Shop around! Don't like your boss? Quit your job! Under no circumstances should you advocate for either a union or socialized health-care. You're an individual, there is no such thing as society.โ
โCory Doctorow.
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In short, running from platforms that do things we don't like won't change them. Because too many people are just going to stay there anyway. Running from Twitter, Discord, etc, they're not going to change because the vast majority of people won't do that. They'll just carry on doing what they always have.
What's needed instead is for the users to collectively tell companies to knock off their shit. Which admittedly is something also pretty damed hard to get people to do, but it's the better option of the two.
![The image shows a tweet from a user named "Matty Be Rad" with the handle "[@]MattyBeRad." The tweet is set against a dark background with white text. The tweet consists of three statements:</p><p> "If you go bankrupt you're allowed to not pay your employees."<br> "If you go bankrupt you still have to pay student loans."<br> "Almost like the laws exist to protect the capitalist class."</p><p>The user's profile picture is a red circular logo featuring a black and white image of a man's face, accompanied by a red rose emoji. The tweet is structured in a straightforward manner, with each statement on a separate line, emphasizing the contrast between the treatment of employees and student loans in bankruptcy.](https://blog.taursnd.haus/photo/1924159582688d40b3a4b4d123909605-0.jpeg "The image shows a tweet from a user named \"Matty Be Rad\" with the handle \"[@]MattyBeRad.\" The tweet is set against a dark background with white text. The tweet consists of three statements:</p><p> \"If you go bankrupt you're allowed to not pay your employees.\"<br> \"If you go bankrupt you still have to pay student loans.\"<br> \"Almost like the laws exist to protect the capitalist class.\"</p><p>The user's profile picture is a red circular logo featuring a black and white image of a man's face, accompanied by a red rose emoji. The tweet is structured in a straightforward manner, with each statement on a separate line, emphasizing the contrast between the treatment of employees and student loans in bankruptcy.")
The image shows a tweet from a user named "Matty Be Rad" with the handle "[@]MattyBeRad." The tweet is set against a dark background with white text. The tweet consists of three statements:
- "If you go bankrupt you're allowed to not pay your employees."
- "If you go bankrupt you still have to pay student loans."
- "Almost like the laws exist to protect the capitalist class."
The user's profile picture is a red circular logo featuring a black and white image of a man's face, accompanied by a red rose emoji. The tweet is structured in a straightforward manner, with each statement on a separate line, emphasizing the contrast between the treatment of employees and student loans in bankruptcy.
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People have a tendency to categorize nature, animals, and other people based on how useful they are to humanity as a whole. (And often to their own ingroups more than others).
And while I may have certain misanthropic tendencies, I donโt think itโs wrong to say that nature, animals, and others donโt exist to serve you. Donโt let your value of the world end at whatโs useful. Expand your idea of beauty to include more than just whatโs pleasant to you.
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โThere used to be an intellectual class in America. . . . These people kept the world of ideas alive. But today the distinction between intellectuals and nonintellectuals doesnโt make any difference; celebrity is the only standard. . . . Everybody has become a talker of cheap philosophy that anybody can pick up.โ
James Randi, The Faith Healers
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FOX23 obtains email confirming State Superintendent shared pornographic images with legislators
He ended with, "do you think this material is appropriate in Oklahoma classrooms and in schools?www.fox23.com
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I like to learn something new every day.
Ironically, the fear of long words is called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. The 36-letter word was first used in the first century BCE to criticize writers with an unreasonable penchant for long words.
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A guy walks into a hat store and says he's looking for a hat to commemorate the loss of his boat.
"Cap size?" asks the vendor
"Nah, she caught fire."
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The words โcontent creatorsโ really depress me. What a soulless, corporate expression. It reduces what you make to โcontentโ to be consumed. It reduces what you do to a business practice. It invisibilises all the specificity of your work.
You are making video? You are not a โcontent creatorโ, you are a videographer.
You are writing essays? You are not a โcontent creatorโ, you are an essayist.
You are investigating and compiling information? You are not a โcontent creatorโ, you are a journalist.
"The rule of law presupposes that there are, well, rules. These rules are supposed to provide a consistent, repeatable, and, most important, knowable set of outcomes. Predictability is the key feature of a functioning rules-based system, because people have to know the rulesโand the consequences of breaking themโbefore they act. The difference between living under the rule or law and living by the whims of a madman is that the rights, responsibilities, prohibitions, and privileges of your situation do not change radically every time a person in power throws a hissy fit.
But the Supreme Court has decided that rules and laws do not apply to Trump, and they donโt protect anybody from Trump. That means that the rule of law is functionally dead in this country (which shouldnโt be entirely surprising, given that this country almost never respects the rule of law in other countries). Nobody can know if the rights they have today will be the rights they have tomorrow. Nobody can know if a thing that is illegal for the government to do to them today will be illegal for the government to do to them tomorrow.
We see the truth of this countryโs descent into lawlessness every single day. All you have to do is pick up a newspaper, turn on the television, or go to Trumpโs social media account. Nearly every โnewsโ story youโll see falls into one of two categories: Trump did something, or Trump threatens to do something. Nobody can reliably say whether those actions or threats are โlegalโ because everybody knows (whether they will admit that to you are not) that rules and laws no longer apply to the Trump regime."
thenation.com/article/politicsโฆ
#USA #Trump #Democracy #RuleOfLaw #Authoritarianism
The Rule of Law Is Dead in the US | The Nation
The rule of law presupposes that there are rules that provide a consistent, repeatable, and knowable set of outcomes. Thatโs no longer the case.The Nation
Smithsonian removes Trump from impeachment exhibit in American history museum
A temporary placard, on display since 2021, described the president's historic impeachments. Officials said the exhibit was restored to an earlier version...Janay Kingsberry (Yahoo Entertainment)
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Trump: โDrop that Digital Services Tax or weโll stop negotiating and put more tariffs on you.โ
Canada: โOkay, theyโre dropped.โ
Trump, today: โCool. Weโre gonna stop negotiating and put more tariffs on you anyway.โ
CAN WE STOP NEGOTIATING WITH A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR NOW PLEASE?
For many older members of the furry/anthro community Terrie Smith's artwork was your first exposure to this world.
Well Terrie has a Patreon now patreon.com/c/TerrieSmith/postโฆ The account just got started and she's still in the process of getting it going. So drop by give her some support!
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Treasury Secretary Admits Plan to Create Savings Accounts for Newborns Is Actually a Backdoor to Privatize Social Security
democracynow.org/2025/7/31/heaโฆgopher.floodgap.com/0/feeds/deโฆ
The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.July 31, 2025
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has admitted a new Trump plan to create
savings accounts for newborns is actually a backdoor way to privatize
Social Security. Bessent made the comment on Wednesday during a forum
organized by the right-wing news outlet Breitbart.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: "I'm not sure when the distribution
level date should be, whether - should it be 30, and you can buy a
house? Should it be 60? But in a way, it is a backdoor for privatizing
Social Security."Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire responded by saying,
"They're already ripping health care away from millions on Medicaid, and
now they've made it clear that your Social Security is next."#democracy-now #social-security #scott-bessent #trump #breitbart #jeanne-shaheen
Treasury Secretary Admits Plan to Create Savings Accounts for Newborns Is Actually a Backdoor to Privatize Social Security
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has admitted a new Trump plan to create savings accounts for newborns is actually a backdoor way to privatize Social Security.Democracy Now!
In Major Milestone, Dozens Of Senators Vote To Block U.S. Weapons To Israel | HuffPost Latest News
huffpost.com/entry/senate-voteโฆ
In Major Milestone, Dozens Of Senators Vote To Block U.S. Weapons To Israel
Congress had never considered legislation to block America's billions in annual military aid until 9 months ago, and past efforts won 19 votes at most.Akbar Shahid Ahmed (HuffPost)
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far as I can tell the huff post doesn't link to alist showing how each senator vote
here you go, alzy huff post sleazoidsL
senate.gov/legislative/LIS/rolโฆ
senate.gov/legislative/LIS/rolโฆ
among hte "liberal" dems who voted the wrong way are Wyden of OR (!) and that sleazoid C Booker of NJ
y'all ready to admit you got snookered by his stupid all night filibuster stunt ?
huh ?
also "dozens" is stretching it a bit it was 24 in one vote and 27 in the other
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โprovision of U.S. law, Section 620i of the Foreign Assistance Act, bars American arms sales to countries interfering with American humanitarian aid effortsโ This shouldโve been convincing enough.
Surprised Senator Rand Paul didnโt support it, since his father Ron Paul was against Iraq invasion.
There are more creative ways to make peace.
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Altbot
in reply to ๐ด Seph ๐ญ ๐พ • • •The image features a black background with white text centered in the middle. The text is in a bold, sans-serif font and reads: "Isn't it weird that Star Trek goes where no one has ever gone before and they always find someone there." The text is arranged in five lines, with each line centered and evenly spaced. The overall design is simple and straightforward, with no additional images or graphics present.
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The pigtailed girl
in reply to ๐ด Seph ๐ญ ๐พ • • •like this
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Juho Mรคntysalo
in reply to ๐ด Seph ๐ญ ๐พ • • •As you surely know (but someone else may not), it was "no man has gone before" in the original series. It was replaced with "one" in the 1980s as a stand-in for "human of any gender, or sex".
Further, they're doing diplomatic missions. Of course they're going to be finding people. If they'd be just interested in colonisation, Enterprise would look a lot different.
Evidence over Ignorance
in reply to ๐ด Seph ๐ญ ๐พ • • •Sorry, but the full quote is:
"Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before!"
Their mission was literally to go where others already are, just no humans. Your take is a prime example of Fake News, by taking a part of a quote out of context.
๐ด Seph ๐ญ ๐พ
in reply to Evidence over Ignorance • •Dentaku (Thomas Renger)
in reply to ๐ด Seph ๐ญ ๐พ • • •๐ด Seph ๐ญ ๐พ likes this.
Jรผrgen Trinkaus :nonazis:
in reply to ๐ด Seph ๐ญ ๐พ • • •And to be specific, no one from earth and later from the UFP.