I had a colleague who participated in a review of scientific facilities in Antarctica, back when we were a respectable nation. She said wherever one went, if there were penguins around, they’d walk over, check you out, then wander off.
That sounds like a dream...I've always wanted to see penguins in the wild. And puffins! We've been to Maine, but we never made a trip far enough north in the state to see any puffins. Next time! 🤞🏻
2019 when I was very healthy. Otherwise my Penguin friends have always been at the Georgia Aquarium. You can pop your head up into a lucite(?) covering and you are among their penguins. I think it is maybe for kids- you have to crawl under to get to the coverings - but lots of adults do it. I am 5’1” - not sure someone much taller could do it.
The glow is from a combo of the arctic light and ice’s reflectivity with my need to change the lighting curves for better visibility in the gif format along with gif compression. I was kind of surprised by the result, but I liked it so I kept it.
And also that second thing you mentioned, probably.
No surprise the ICE goon ended up in the hospital.
His Nazi boss's-boss's(*X)-boss had to take a paid week off to recovering from (checks notes) not actually getting kicked in the gnards/stones/family-jewels. (tried finding link to support this, all Google and Google-adjacent searches...boss in question was the one who lied to Chicago judge last month or prior month🤷🏻♂️)
Boy – they really drag JV Dunce out when they need an extra shot of bigotry for their fearmongering, don’t they
:-/
I’m kinda feeling like the Yale graduates among us might want to have a word with admissions, because I can’t imagine you feel anything other than embarrassed that this (and the author of the KKKavanaughStop, and Ted Cruz, yadayada) is serving right now as the avatar of “product of a Yale Law education”
Also – how about an extra bonus to the reporter who asks KKKaroline Leavitt
“since DHS isn’t doing anything productive, why should they remain? You’ve said they ‘will remain’ but you refuse to say WHY. What the h*ll are they doing in the neighborhood – other than literally robbing and murdering the residents?
Why are you sending them there, KKKaroline? What do you want them to be doing there??”
Excellent opinion piece from the Philadelphia Inquirer. One paragraph sent chills up my back: "But there was something even more critical on this frigid prairie morning: brave everyday citizens willing to put their lives on the lines for neighbors they don’t even know, and to risk everything in pursuit of the truth. America knows what really happened to Good because courageous people ran toward the scene with their phones aloft to bear witness, not knowing if ICE would kill again."
The Inquirer ( one of the several papers we had in my house growing up) is still pretty good. I have an online subscription. I have mentioned here ( more than once) that my husband and I cancelled the Washington Post after 42 years
Oh yes. I picked up the Inquirer when they did a fabulous editorial critiquing WAPO and NYT election coverage by saying (paraphrasing) 'we-don't-answer-to-billionaires.' At that time, I dropped NYT. I have been frustrated by WAPO for a very long time, but this week that turned over into outright rage when they published an inaccurate, mealy-mouthed editorial blaming Ms. Good's murder on Ms. Good. I'll see, I have subscriptions to a large number of news sites, including some I find antithetical to all of my political positions, e.g., WSJ. But rags like WSJ are exactly what they say they are up-front, while WAPO is not.
The ICE murder in Minnesota. More info from Bloomberg. Why do they call it "shooting?"
The fatal shooting of a woman in her car by an ICE agent in Minneapolis sparked an uproar over the presence of federal immigration forces in the city and deepened political divisions between the federal government and state and local officials
The Wednesday shooting — caught on video and shared widely on social media — happened during what federal officials described as a targeted operation amid a broader immigration effort. Trump and his allies cast the shooting as self-defense, a view that the Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called a “garbage narrative.”
“The presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city,” Frey said. “We’re demanding ICE to leave the city immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities.” "
I watched that tragic event. Are those "ICE" draftees even allowed to carry firearms? OL' QUICK DRAW McICE there has been wanting to do this since whenever! Evantually his name and backstory should be revealed.
In some kinder news, the student loan peeps at the somehow still existing Dept of Education are blasting through my TEPSLF application. My dashboard says "all loans forgiven!" but I still needed to submit a couple of forms to cross the ts and dot the is. $9000 hangs in the balance. We'll see.
god damn it i cannot function today. i have the day off tahnk dog, but i have shit to do, and i ain't gonna. we are in the middle of a fascist takeover. our leaders are feckless, murderous, imbecilic cretins.
I, also, had a few mundane plans for today. (WOKE up, covfefe, feed WUNDER HOUND, P&P and go to WONKATARIUM for morning outrage!) So far so GOOD! If I can reduce the quivering I might finish the day
It has now been reported that the exclusive handling of the investigation into this event has been seized by the Bondi DOJ and placed in the hands of Kash Patel's FBI, thus removing any Minnesota authorities from the investigation. Minnesota cannot participate even though a state citizen was killed.
If covering one's ass was an Olympic sport the Trump Administration would have another gold medal to dangle in front of the fearless leader.
Minnesota law enforcement can tell ICE, DHS, Kristi Noem, Kash Patel, and Donald Chump to kiss their hairy love eggs and conduct their own investigation.
Read as much as I could of the other news, fled to the safety of Tabs and ha ha ha on me.
So I am just here to report that it’s 8 AM in the morning and I have wood on the fire, done the Terrible Thing (eyedrops) to Alice, fed most of the cats, scooped a couple of litter boxes, put a casserole in the oven, tidied off the dining room table for the first time in a shockingly long time (why did they make it flat, amirite?), and I am now torn between making my bed and taking a short nap in it. (why also do they make these things flat if not?)
This is how I cope with this. Chop wood/haul water. On a bad day, chop water and haul wood. It’s -38°F at the airport. Forecast is clear and sunny, good day to tidy up the sunroom. My capacity for dealing with the terrible is limited. Survivor guilt mixed with pragmatism. Peeking out of the foxhole, ducking back down.
"House Republicans on Thursday are hoping to deliver a win for President Donald Trump’s agenda — or at least his hair — by voting to codify his long-desired showerhead changes into law, their first legislative priority of the new session."
This is their "legislative priority"? How about working on replacing the Obamacare subsidies that are causing millions of Americans pain? How about working on passing the appropriations bills - or a new continuing resolution - to address the can you just kicked down the road in November?
For something completely different, Dr. OZ is showing off his "medical expertise" [ this comes from the NYPost, so no link ]:
"WASHINGTON — Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, explained new federal guidelines recommending alcohol use in moderation, saying the takeaway should be, “Don’t have it for breakfast.”
Oz said federal officials are recommending moderation — rather than abstinence — because booze facilitates social relationships, which can have beneficial health effects.
“Alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together. In the best-case scenario, I don’t think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialize, and there’s probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way,” Oz said at a White House briefing...."
This immediately follows a report posted by WHO, citing research that says that no amount of alcohol is safe for you:
One really has to wonder if Oz ( and all the other political assholes under RFK, Jr. ) really keeps up with the latest health literature, like any good medical professional should do.
I hope Dr. Oz has no plans for elected positions again after getting his ass handed to him by John Fetterman's social media team, because the no-alcohol-for-breakfast stance has certainly lost my vote.
I probably have less than half a dozen servings of alcohol in the course of a year, wine if I’m with friends who offer, or if I have friends over for dinner. But this? This inspires me to take a day drinking if anything would. Beer— it’s not just for breakfast anymore.
IF YOU WATCH THOSE HORRIFYING VIDEOS - ESPECIALLY WITH THE SOUND ON -
Here is an important explainer about how to mitigate the bad effects on our brain and body of witnessing horrible events. Gives details about switches to avoid having videos thrust into your face, and more details about ways to view them that do less damage. Also details how to use Tetris or similar stimuli after viewing. Again, this is all about *mitigataion* while witnessing.
This is by a person who's been dealing with witness traumatization from online materials since she was running Trust & Safety at LiveJournal at the turn of the century. (Some of you Olds will remember that place!)
She has done tons of work around CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material). and other violent filth on the internet - and the people who work to try to control and remove it. And many of her colleagues have popped into the comments at both links. This is Denise Paolucci, founder of the DreamWidth platform. who used the handle Synecdochic on DreamWidth and in fandom, and uses rahaeli on BlueSky. Check the Wikipedia article about DreamWidth for more backstory.)
Your gif info post includes some Antarctic history today: https://martiniambassador.substack.com/p/a-posse-of-proximate-penguins-as
And your meme chat: https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/c90e2ee8-dc5c-4f6d-aa81-af1ec53be6c5?utm_source=share
The Wizard Of Oz _ The Lollipop Guild https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBsf8qsxs2M
substack.com/@gtm1646309?
The Penguin wears
a feathery tuxedo
which if you think about it
is pretty neat-o
Pengies on the ice
Super nice!
Pengies in the snow
What a show!
To learn they've such skills
Gives us thrills!
I seriously wanna hang out with those penguins!
I had a colleague who participated in a review of scientific facilities in Antarctica, back when we were a respectable nation. She said wherever one went, if there were penguins around, they’d walk over, check you out, then wander off.
Who needs wings that work when you’ve got natural Gore-tex.
Notice when they belly flop.on the ice, they don't leave a trail! Maybe that's the OTHER reason they do it 😉
Democratic Penguin Republic, present!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ8qGOe2K0o
Too bad the audience was so small for such a splendid performance of "Swan Lake."
Thems ain't swans, thems penguins!
And pen-gu-ins is prac-tick-ally oh you know the drill
Bolshoi Beware…
Low on the horizon was the sun whenst the nuns did merrily traverse the snow, their bellies seemingly radiant as they downwind wafted.
User name checks out.
Who says penguins can’t fly? Look at ‘em go!
It's 8:40 AM, and time for the penguin on top of your television set to explode.
(GRAMS: explosion)
"There's a dead bishop on the landing"
"I don't know who keeps bringing them in here!"
The history was great, but being shallow, I'm just here for the belly slides.
And they say penguins can't fly...
I wonder if those penguins would let me join their club? I'm pretty sure they don't shoot each other. I'll bring anchovies.
We swam with warm water penguins in the Galapagos. We didn’t actually swim with them - they came to swim with us. They are little ones
That sounds like a dream...I've always wanted to see penguins in the wild. And puffins! We've been to Maine, but we never made a trip far enough north in the state to see any puffins. Next time! 🤞🏻
2019 when I was very healthy. Otherwise my Penguin friends have always been at the Georgia Aquarium. You can pop your head up into a lucite(?) covering and you are among their penguins. I think it is maybe for kids- you have to crawl under to get to the coverings - but lots of adults do it. I am 5’1” - not sure someone much taller could do it.
PUFFIN was our code word for tokin'. We didn't fool anyone though!
Love this...might use it for the future! 😂
Wow, that is quite the Antarctic history lesson!
Why do the penguin bellies look like they are glowing against the icy surface? Is that some sort of gif-ification artifact? Or did they eat Taco Bell?
Reflected sunlight from the ice.
Their bodies kick up snow spray as they slide
I thought they had those undercarriage lights installed like all the crazy kids put on their cars.
The original low-riders.
The glow is from a combo of the arctic light and ice’s reflectivity with my need to change the lighting curves for better visibility in the gif format along with gif compression. I was kind of surprised by the result, but I liked it so I kept it.
And also that second thing you mentioned, probably.
They look like they're having fun. TARIFF THEM!
WOKE PENGUINS!!
Probably gay.
That's a given!
No surprise the ICE goon ended up in the hospital.
His Nazi boss's-boss's(*X)-boss had to take a paid week off to recovering from (checks notes) not actually getting kicked in the gnards/stones/family-jewels. (tried finding link to support this, all Google and Google-adjacent searches...boss in question was the one who lied to Chicago judge last month or prior month🤷🏻♂️)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnJM-Hss1S8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnJM-Hss1S8
Boy – they really drag JV Dunce out when they need an extra shot of bigotry for their fearmongering, don’t they
:-/
I’m kinda feeling like the Yale graduates among us might want to have a word with admissions, because I can’t imagine you feel anything other than embarrassed that this (and the author of the KKKavanaughStop, and Ted Cruz, yadayada) is serving right now as the avatar of “product of a Yale Law education”
Also – how about an extra bonus to the reporter who asks KKKaroline Leavitt
“since DHS isn’t doing anything productive, why should they remain? You’ve said they ‘will remain’ but you refuse to say WHY. What the h*ll are they doing in the neighborhood – other than literally robbing and murdering the residents?
Why are you sending them there, KKKaroline? What do you want them to be doing there??”
Excellent opinion piece from the Philadelphia Inquirer. One paragraph sent chills up my back: "But there was something even more critical on this frigid prairie morning: brave everyday citizens willing to put their lives on the lines for neighbors they don’t even know, and to risk everything in pursuit of the truth. America knows what really happened to Good because courageous people ran toward the scene with their phones aloft to bear witness, not knowing if ICE would kill again."
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/minneapolis-ice-killing-renee-good-tim-walz-jacob-frey-20260108.html
The Inquirer ( one of the several papers we had in my house growing up) is still pretty good. I have an online subscription. I have mentioned here ( more than once) that my husband and I cancelled the Washington Post after 42 years
Oh yes. I picked up the Inquirer when they did a fabulous editorial critiquing WAPO and NYT election coverage by saying (paraphrasing) 'we-don't-answer-to-billionaires.' At that time, I dropped NYT. I have been frustrated by WAPO for a very long time, but this week that turned over into outright rage when they published an inaccurate, mealy-mouthed editorial blaming Ms. Good's murder on Ms. Good. I'll see, I have subscriptions to a large number of news sites, including some I find antithetical to all of my political positions, e.g., WSJ. But rags like WSJ are exactly what they say they are up-front, while WAPO is not.
The ICE murder in Minnesota. More info from Bloomberg. Why do they call it "shooting?"
The fatal shooting of a woman in her car by an ICE agent in Minneapolis sparked an uproar over the presence of federal immigration forces in the city and deepened political divisions between the federal government and state and local officials
The Wednesday shooting — caught on video and shared widely on social media — happened during what federal officials described as a targeted operation amid a broader immigration effort. Trump and his allies cast the shooting as self-defense, a view that the Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called a “garbage narrative.”
“The presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city,” Frey said. “We’re demanding ICE to leave the city immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities.” "
Because words matter. That’s why the shooting of Charlie Kirk is called an assassination.
I watched that tragic event. Are those "ICE" draftees even allowed to carry firearms? OL' QUICK DRAW McICE there has been wanting to do this since whenever! Evantually his name and backstory should be revealed.
I'd really like that but who can say if it will ever happen?
In some kinder news, the student loan peeps at the somehow still existing Dept of Education are blasting through my TEPSLF application. My dashboard says "all loans forgiven!" but I still needed to submit a couple of forms to cross the ts and dot the is. $9000 hangs in the balance. We'll see.
You must be applying to ICE, right?
JUST KIDDING!
Re the shooting in Minnesota:
https://open.substack.com/pub/chrisgeidner/p/ice-agent-killed-renee-nicole-good-ellis-opinion?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
god damn it i cannot function today. i have the day off tahnk dog, but i have shit to do, and i ain't gonna. we are in the middle of a fascist takeover. our leaders are feckless, murderous, imbecilic cretins.
I, also, had a few mundane plans for today. (WOKE up, covfefe, feed WUNDER HOUND, P&P and go to WONKATARIUM for morning outrage!) So far so GOOD! If I can reduce the quivering I might finish the day
It has now been reported that the exclusive handling of the investigation into this event has been seized by the Bondi DOJ and placed in the hands of Kash Patel's FBI, thus removing any Minnesota authorities from the investigation. Minnesota cannot participate even though a state citizen was killed.
If covering one's ass was an Olympic sport the Trump Administration would have another gold medal to dangle in front of the fearless leader.
Minnesota law enforcement can tell ICE, DHS, Kristi Noem, Kash Patel, and Donald Chump to kiss their hairy love eggs and conduct their own investigation.
Read as much as I could of the other news, fled to the safety of Tabs and ha ha ha on me.
So I am just here to report that it’s 8 AM in the morning and I have wood on the fire, done the Terrible Thing (eyedrops) to Alice, fed most of the cats, scooped a couple of litter boxes, put a casserole in the oven, tidied off the dining room table for the first time in a shockingly long time (why did they make it flat, amirite?), and I am now torn between making my bed and taking a short nap in it. (why also do they make these things flat if not?)
This is how I cope with this. Chop wood/haul water. On a bad day, chop water and haul wood. It’s -38°F at the airport. Forecast is clear and sunny, good day to tidy up the sunroom. My capacity for dealing with the terrible is limited. Survivor guilt mixed with pragmatism. Peeking out of the foxhole, ducking back down.
GOTCHA! You advance, I'll provide cover fire!
Nope! Just gonna stay here in the foxhole, crocheting doilies, hanging pictures, making it nice.
More horse's asses in the House:
"House Republicans on Thursday are hoping to deliver a win for President Donald Trump’s agenda — or at least his hair — by voting to codify his long-desired showerhead changes into law, their first legislative priority of the new session."
This is their "legislative priority"? How about working on replacing the Obamacare subsidies that are causing millions of Americans pain? How about working on passing the appropriations bills - or a new continuing resolution - to address the can you just kicked down the road in November?
IOW - HOW ABOUT DOING SOME SIGNIFICANT WORK???!!!
If the House really wants to waste time on meaningless legislation, they could do something about the hot mess that is the transfer portal in CFB.
College Football?? Any "legislation" Congress could come up with would likely fuck that story up even more...
For something completely different, Dr. OZ is showing off his "medical expertise" [ this comes from the NYPost, so no link ]:
"WASHINGTON — Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, explained new federal guidelines recommending alcohol use in moderation, saying the takeaway should be, “Don’t have it for breakfast.”
Oz said federal officials are recommending moderation — rather than abstinence — because booze facilitates social relationships, which can have beneficial health effects.
“Alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together. In the best-case scenario, I don’t think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialize, and there’s probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way,” Oz said at a White House briefing...."
This immediately follows a report posted by WHO, citing research that says that no amount of alcohol is safe for you:
Link: https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health
One really has to wonder if Oz ( and all the other political assholes under RFK, Jr. ) really keeps up with the latest health literature, like any good medical professional should do.
I hope Dr. Oz has no plans for elected positions again after getting his ass handed to him by John Fetterman's social media team, because the no-alcohol-for-breakfast stance has certainly lost my vote.
"Don't have it for breakfast" - but what about mimosas and bloody marys????
I probably have less than half a dozen servings of alcohol in the course of a year, wine if I’m with friends who offer, or if I have friends over for dinner. But this? This inspires me to take a day drinking if anything would. Beer— it’s not just for breakfast anymore.
"LUBRICIOUS" was the password for entry at EPSTEIN ISLAND!
Being reported that FBI is shutting out local LEO from the ICE murder investigation
Maybe they should just conduct their own investigation anyway.
Take a page from the you're-not-the-boss-of-me boys.
Nobody should be surprised
But you have to think about that
Ka$h Patel does not want people to know what really happened
That's not an investigation
That's another cover-up
Unfortunately, no surprise.
"ICE boys can do no wrong"
Criminal scum.
Don't even speak that into existence
https://www.wonkette.com/p/renee-good-tabs-thurs-jan-8-2026/comment/197017263
Call Robert Garcia's Oversight Committee staff members and have them put on notice immediately
Don't take this lying down
Local LEO need to do their own autonomous investigation.
I have no doubt AG Keith Ellison knows they're trying this
I can't imagine they weren't already assembling a team to work on it
At the same time, I bet a reach-out to their office would not be remiss either
IF YOU WATCH THOSE HORRIFYING VIDEOS - ESPECIALLY WITH THE SOUND ON -
Here is an important explainer about how to mitigate the bad effects on our brain and body of witnessing horrible events. Gives details about switches to avoid having videos thrust into your face, and more details about ways to view them that do less damage. Also details how to use Tetris or similar stimuli after viewing. Again, this is all about *mitigataion* while witnessing.
Bookmark. We'll need it this year.
Original post: https://synecdochic.dreamwidth.org/803314.html
Current discussion: https://bsky.app/profile/rahaeli.bsky.social/post/3mbuxrsf5b22g
This is by a person who's been dealing with witness traumatization from online materials since she was running Trust & Safety at LiveJournal at the turn of the century. (Some of you Olds will remember that place!)
She has done tons of work around CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material). and other violent filth on the internet - and the people who work to try to control and remove it. And many of her colleagues have popped into the comments at both links. This is Denise Paolucci, founder of the DreamWidth platform. who used the handle Synecdochic on DreamWidth and in fandom, and uses rahaeli on BlueSky. Check the Wikipedia article about DreamWidth for more backstory.)