I mean "sea spiders" - properly pycnogonids - are a thing though only distantly related to spiders et al. (The divergence is thought to have happened all the way back during Late Cambrian.)
They're REALLY weird, too. Most are like 95% legs and have their internal organs in their limbs. The only extant class is duly quite descriptively named Pantopoda, lit. 'all feet'...
"Fox News host Greg Gutfeld on Thursday complained for a second time this week about losing liberal friends over his support for President Donald Trump, arguing during an impassioned rant on “The Five” that it’s “illogical” for friends to do this.
“I don’t care that you hate Trump,” he claimed. “Why should you care that I like him? The answer would be, ‘Because he’s evil, he’s like a Nazi.’ Well, this is where the whole thing falls apart. What does that mean to me if I’m your Republican friend who voted for Trump?”
Gutfeld continued, “That you would believe I would support a Nazi, we’ve been friends for years. I’ve been through this. If you are my friend, you have to realize that’s illogical because how were we friends for 10 or 20 years and now you find out I’m a fascist?”
“So the key moment in this self-realization of a liberal should be, if your dad loves Trump and you love your dad, shouldn’t you maybe question whether your dad doesn’t love a Hitler figure, and therefore, maybe Trump is not a Hitler figure?” Gutfeld argued Thursday.
Gutfeld argued that people only dislike Trump and his base because of their “own personal resentments” — rather than his harmful policies, racist rhetoric and utter lack of presidential decorum — and asked Tarlov, “Why does it bother you that people like Trump?” She responded, “Because he’s like a completely morally bankrupt person.”
"The Reflecting Pool itself has long faced structural and maintenance challenges, including chronic water loss, aging infrastructure and an underperforming treatment system, according to federal records. A 2023 National Park Service project sheet flagged deteriorating expansion joints, undersized circulation lines and an inadequate ozone system as key issues requiring repair. That same document noted the pool required tens of millions of gallons of additional water annually, driving costs that exceeded $1 million in a single year.
Trump abandoned a far more ambitious plan to replace the pool with a granite redesign that was expected to take three years and cost roughly $301 million. In its place, he opted for a fast-track solution: a blue “industrial-grade” coating he said would cost about $1.5 million to $2 million and be completed in a matter of weeks.
But procurement data tells a different story. Contract records tied to the work — including resurfacing and water-treatment components — suggest the total cost could exceed $8 million, raising questions about the gap between the public estimate and actual spending."
NYT: "The president said he would be using a contractor he knows from his years in real estate. “Over the years as a developer, I’ve probably built more than 100 swimming pools,” the president said, adding, “I have some really good pool builders.” He said one contractor proposed removing the pool’s granite and replacing it with stone as part of a three-year renovation that would cost $300 million.
“I said, ‘No, there’s a better way of doing it,’” Mr. Trump recalled. “I said, ‘What we’re going to do is I’m going to call all three of these people that have worked for me in the past doing swimming pools.” He said he told the contractors to “give me a good price,” and one agreed to do the job for $1.5 million to $2 million.
Mr. Trump said the renovated pool would last “for 40 or 50 years.” “There’ll be no leaks; there’ll be no anything,” he said. “It’ll look gorgeous, beautiful.”"
And now for stuff that I can't bin properly and will always be OT.
Once the issues in the Strait of Hormuz started, I thought about what was going to be affected. I looked at my 40-year old vinyl siding and decided, "Yeah, that needs to go before it costs more than gold." I got a good quote and they started 3-weeks after I signed the contract; now they're about 1/2 done. I got a call from the owner saying that:
1) he was sorry he only had 2 guys working bc of a myriad of issues (one being ICE), but that he was "taking excellent care of the team".
2) the price of materials went up by 11% on April 15th and the companies just announced that they're going to raise prices again in mid-June.
3) His next job is getting pushed off a week. Glad I'm not that person!
"The good news: In just one year alone, we've already moved 4.5 million people off of SNAP,” AgSec Brooke Rollins said, referring to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as she predicted more hunger to follow. “We’re going to be pulling more and more people off,” she added. “Frankly part of this is the dignity of work, right?” she said. “This is a great, American, biblical, foundational principle that people should work unless they’re very old or disabled or a child.”
The dignity of work? News flash, Brooke. Most people who get SNAP/EBT are working. If the minimum wage had kept up with the cost of living instead of staying at $7.25/hour because Republican'ts, it would be somewhere around $25/hour.
It's a pond! It's a lake! And, disgusting non-U.S. people are throwing garbage in the water!
"ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked Trump, during his visit to the Lincoln Memorial to check out his new paint job on the Reflecting Pool, one of his many vanity projects in the capital: “Mr. President, you are here against the backdrop of the war in a Iran. Why focus on all these projects right now especially with gas prices soaring?”
Trump angrily replied:
“You know why? Because I wanna keep our country beautiful and safe. Beautiful also. This place was a disgusting place. It was, Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and we had a terrible, disgusting ... you probably don’t see dirt. But I do. And you walked down this pond. If you would’ve walked down, they’ll tell you better than anybody. They had to take 11 or 12 truckloads of garbage out of that lake, out of that water. And it sat there for years like that. And that’s not what our country’s about. Our country’s about beauty, cleanliness, safety, great people. Not a filthy capital."
Your introvert hed gif info: https://martiniambassador.substack.com/p/small-squid-needs-a-moment-alone
And meme chat: https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/e48c8846-f5bc-460d-bc1d-45c334166574?utm_source=share
Have a good weekend!
I've had days like that.
The Tropical Pygmy Squid
lives in the South China Sea
where she lives in and is hid
by green green sea grass
Takes me back to when I was six and got to see 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Thanks!
I know exactly how this little squid feels. Sweet dreams.
once a week(usually) I talk about the Giant Squid at the National Museum of Natural History(Smithsonian). That's it
The little squid is hidden
Down in the gravelly stone
Just like Greta Garbo
She "vants to be alone".
I dearly hope you're compiling all of these into a book.
Thanks. Maybe Martini and I should collaborate on a book for kids.
DO IT!
I agree. Wondered, "Has Menotsure ever written a book?"
We are all that little squid today....or every day during this maladministration.....
Today, we are all small squids...
It looked suspiciously spidery at first, I’m glad it turned out to be a wee tiny squid.
GMTA.
In the times of jumping worms and murder hornets, underwater spiders would be another "Of course there are!" story...
I mean "sea spiders" - properly pycnogonids - are a thing though only distantly related to spiders et al. (The divergence is thought to have happened all the way back during Late Cambrian.)
They're REALLY weird, too. Most are like 95% legs and have their internal organs in their limbs. The only extant class is duly quite descriptively named Pantopoda, lit. 'all feet'...
Only in Australia though.
Back in the early 1960s Stan Lee had planned to name his newest superhero "The Amazing SquidMan".
But he had to scrap it because Steve Ditko's preliminary costume sketches were too NSFW even for Stan Lee.
Me too, tho I'm not sure why.
Whatcha doin' today bae?
Imma Netflix and chill
Hellz yeah, I'm on my way
I MEANT ALONE!!!!!
I know how you feel, lil' squid, I know how you feel.
Today we are all that fishy thing
That cute little critter agrees with Greta Garbo and wants to be alone.
"You all would LOVE my Oklahoma hippie cousin Tom, man is he the best!"
Who doesn't love Oklahoma hippies?
Keep Tulsa weird.
home of the Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie Centers!
Have fun, lady!!
DEPORT REPUBLICANS
WELCOME IMMIGRANTS
BE THE GREAT REPLACEMENT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD
That wee tiny squid tossing pebbles on its head is the highlight of my day. Go, Wee Tiny Squid, go!
The picture of the pope standing next to Rubio is gold. GOLD!!!
The Tropical Pygmy Squid
lives in the South China Sea
where she lives in and is hid
by green green sea grass
"Not LOL: Deadbeat parents should pay the fuck up, but “revoking their US passports” seems very WHAT THE FUCK YIKES, MARCO RUBIO"
That's about trapping people of color whom they want to imprison in those for-profit prisons
Oh, what? You haven't heard about those yet?
The ones the regime is trying to open in literally every state?
Doktor!
"Fox News host Greg Gutfeld on Thursday complained for a second time this week about losing liberal friends over his support for President Donald Trump, arguing during an impassioned rant on “The Five” that it’s “illogical” for friends to do this.
“I don’t care that you hate Trump,” he claimed. “Why should you care that I like him? The answer would be, ‘Because he’s evil, he’s like a Nazi.’ Well, this is where the whole thing falls apart. What does that mean to me if I’m your Republican friend who voted for Trump?”
Gutfeld continued, “That you would believe I would support a Nazi, we’ve been friends for years. I’ve been through this. If you are my friend, you have to realize that’s illogical because how were we friends for 10 or 20 years and now you find out I’m a fascist?”
“So the key moment in this self-realization of a liberal should be, if your dad loves Trump and you love your dad, shouldn’t you maybe question whether your dad doesn’t love a Hitler figure, and therefore, maybe Trump is not a Hitler figure?” Gutfeld argued Thursday.
Gutfeld argued that people only dislike Trump and his base because of their “own personal resentments” — rather than his harmful policies, racist rhetoric and utter lack of presidential decorum — and asked Tarlov, “Why does it bother you that people like Trump?” She responded, “Because he’s like a completely morally bankrupt person.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fox-news-host-greg-gutfeld-losing-friends-trump_n_69fde7a0e4b06e786e3e0119?origin=home-whats-happening-unit
We all know this is made up, because Greg Gutfeld has no friends.
Thank you, Jessica.
Excellent take on tRump's hallucinations
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nZo8g_Ckjbg
Who is Trump Likening Himself To? | Have I Got News for Your Ears
"The Reflecting Pool itself has long faced structural and maintenance challenges, including chronic water loss, aging infrastructure and an underperforming treatment system, according to federal records. A 2023 National Park Service project sheet flagged deteriorating expansion joints, undersized circulation lines and an inadequate ozone system as key issues requiring repair. That same document noted the pool required tens of millions of gallons of additional water annually, driving costs that exceeded $1 million in a single year.
Trump abandoned a far more ambitious plan to replace the pool with a granite redesign that was expected to take three years and cost roughly $301 million. In its place, he opted for a fast-track solution: a blue “industrial-grade” coating he said would cost about $1.5 million to $2 million and be completed in a matter of weeks.
But procurement data tells a different story. Contract records tied to the work — including resurfacing and water-treatment components — suggest the total cost could exceed $8 million, raising questions about the gap between the public estimate and actual spending."
https://nypost.com/2026/04/25/us-news/crews-roll-out-blue-coating-on-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool/
Trump is a special kind of moron who doesn't understand anything about anything.
NYT: "The president said he would be using a contractor he knows from his years in real estate. “Over the years as a developer, I’ve probably built more than 100 swimming pools,” the president said, adding, “I have some really good pool builders.” He said one contractor proposed removing the pool’s granite and replacing it with stone as part of a three-year renovation that would cost $300 million.
“I said, ‘No, there’s a better way of doing it,’” Mr. Trump recalled. “I said, ‘What we’re going to do is I’m going to call all three of these people that have worked for me in the past doing swimming pools.” He said he told the contractors to “give me a good price,” and one agreed to do the job for $1.5 million to $2 million.
Mr. Trump said the renovated pool would last “for 40 or 50 years.” “There’ll be no leaks; there’ll be no anything,” he said. “It’ll look gorgeous, beautiful.”"
It'll be kidney-shaped, and then Trump will stiff the contractor.
And if it last 40 or 50 days, I'll be surprised.
TGIF Tab's and Coffee in the Morning ☕💯👍
“Omar has been married three times. What do you say about a woman who has been married three times?” Jesse Watters said on “The Five.”
Watters has been divorced once, and Trump has been married three times and divorced twice. The irony was clearly lost on Watters.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fox-news-jesse-watters-ilhan-omar-marriage-attacks_n_69fd104ee4b065a1677d3222?origin=home-whats-happening-unit
And now for stuff that I can't bin properly and will always be OT.
Once the issues in the Strait of Hormuz started, I thought about what was going to be affected. I looked at my 40-year old vinyl siding and decided, "Yeah, that needs to go before it costs more than gold." I got a good quote and they started 3-weeks after I signed the contract; now they're about 1/2 done. I got a call from the owner saying that:
1) he was sorry he only had 2 guys working bc of a myriad of issues (one being ICE), but that he was "taking excellent care of the team".
2) the price of materials went up by 11% on April 15th and the companies just announced that they're going to raise prices again in mid-June.
3) His next job is getting pushed off a week. Glad I'm not that person!
'Cause it's biblical not to feed the poor:
"The good news: In just one year alone, we've already moved 4.5 million people off of SNAP,” AgSec Brooke Rollins said, referring to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as she predicted more hunger to follow. “We’re going to be pulling more and more people off,” she added. “Frankly part of this is the dignity of work, right?” she said. “This is a great, American, biblical, foundational principle that people should work unless they’re very old or disabled or a child.”
The dignity of work? News flash, Brooke. Most people who get SNAP/EBT are working. If the minimum wage had kept up with the cost of living instead of staying at $7.25/hour because Republican'ts, it would be somewhere around $25/hour.
“... and if they’re very old, disabled, or a child and can’t work, that’s just too f’ing bad.”
She looks exactly like the kind of bitch who would say something like that.
It's a pond! It's a lake! And, disgusting non-U.S. people are throwing garbage in the water!
"ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked Trump, during his visit to the Lincoln Memorial to check out his new paint job on the Reflecting Pool, one of his many vanity projects in the capital: “Mr. President, you are here against the backdrop of the war in a Iran. Why focus on all these projects right now especially with gas prices soaring?”
Trump angrily replied:
“You know why? Because I wanna keep our country beautiful and safe. Beautiful also. This place was a disgusting place. It was, Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and we had a terrible, disgusting ... you probably don’t see dirt. But I do. And you walked down this pond. If you would’ve walked down, they’ll tell you better than anybody. They had to take 11 or 12 truckloads of garbage out of that lake, out of that water. And it sat there for years like that. And that’s not what our country’s about. Our country’s about beauty, cleanliness, safety, great people. Not a filthy capital."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-rachel-scott-abc-news-rant_n_69fd8282e4b0cb033e5107bd?origin=home-latest-news-unit&utm_source=buzzfeed&utm_medium=iframely
Once a year, the National Park Service scrubs the pool to clear it of trash and goose poop. https://www.history.com/articles/lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool-restoration-sinking