shekinahcancook

ai6yr, 6 days ago to cycling

Hmm... was pondering a bicycle ride to the donut shop to get some exercise in and thinking that would be cross-purpose to the whole activity. 😂

My cycling range now has expanded and there are four donut shops I could select from, LOL.

#BikeTooter

GottaLaff, 5 days ago to random

Via Jon Favreau:

1. Republicans block a bill that would protect contraception

2. Trump floats jailing his opponents; an informal advisor suggests executing them

3. DataProgress poll: 63% of swing voters have heard little to nothing about Trump's guilty verdict

May I humbly suggest that Biden supporters use their feeds to put some of this info in front of people instead of continuing to complain/amplify stupid WSJ story …?

152 days to go. Lots of work to do. Gotta pick our battles wisely.

TonyStark, 4 days ago to random

Bernie Sanders’ taste in people has been questionable, at best.

This is not just “criticism of Israel.” Neither has any of the other hateful things she’s been saying for months. It could only have been better if they’d fired her faster.

The Hill Fires Progressive Host Who Defended Hamas:
https://www.thewrap.com/the-hill-fires-briahna-joy-gray-rising-israel-hamas-hostage/

shekinahcancook, 4 days ago to GraphicDesign

If you're looking for desktop only, non-subscription publishing software, photo editor, and graphic design, I have used Affinity for a while now and like them a lot. They were recently bought out by someone else who may screw things up royally, but for now at least you can still get the one-time purchase desktop set. Considering the way online stuff is being enshittified, you might want to try this.

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/?utm_id=us

#Desktop #GraphicDesign #PhotoEditing #Publisher #NoSubscription @AIFree

rooster, 5 days ago to random

I deleted this selfie earlier because it made me feel dysphoric and I’m reposting it because maybe my brain is silly for saying this looks like a man

jon, 3 days ago (edited 1 day ago) to random

Microsoft does not Recall automatically

Looks like Microsoft will make Recall opt-in. Seemingly they needed user feedback to figure out that people might not like the idea of them taking a screenshots of their screens every 5 seconds or so.

Security experts also pointed out that this would be a security nightmare. Pretty obvious, really.

This is another example why it is clear Big Tech is not to be trusted to make the right decisions, even when they are staring them in the face.

Desperate to not loose out, they are moving quickly to not be left behind, running blindly ahead without thinking of the consequences.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/7/24173499/microsoft-windows-recall-response-security-concerns

#Windows #Recall #Linux #Privacy #Spyware #Computers

shekinahcancook, 5 days ago to spiders

Spider trifecta complete. If you see one of these, might I suggest grabbing something with a loooooooong handle.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joro-spiders-new-york-giant-venomous-spiders-spread-east-coast/

#Spiders #InvasiveSpecies

KimPerales, 4 days ago (edited 1 day ago) to random

Shop at Kohls *rebuffed the RNC.

WI-based Kohl’s will not sponsor any events re to the RNC in Milwaukee.

We need a current list of companies to avoid *include Fiserv & Northwestern Mutual.

Kohl’s is one of the FEW big cos. in WI that’s opted out of the convention. WI based Northwestern Mutual & Fiserv are among the cos. sponsoring the event.

R Priebus, CHM of the city’s host CMTE: virtually all of WI’s Fortune 500 cos. have pledged FIN support.

#CorporateCorruption https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/06/kohls-donation-trump-republican-national-convention.html

MeanwhileinCanada, 8 days ago to random

raf, 6 days ago to random

For #BabkaBookClub we are reading Sholem Asch's God of Vengeance (Got fun nekome)

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_God_of_Vengeance

In 15 days from now, we'll discuss the play! Use the hashtag liberally leading up to that!

shekinahcancook, 3 days ago to scifi

Watching Scavengers Reign tonight. I'm starting episode 5, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It's kind of creepy and disgusting in a way. I'm not a big fan of horror flicks and this seems to skirt the edge.

https://www.netflix.com/title/81772175

#SciFi #Fantasy #Animation #ScavengersReign

shekinahcancook, 6 days ago to geopolitics

This was an interesting email to receive today. It reminded me of some things we discussed back on The Oil Drum about this very thing (the online archive still available: http://theoildrum.com/special/archives ) - how paving over all the old city & county gravel roads had introduced a pile of fixed costs (not just paving, but regular re-grading, snow plowing, etc) that towns would eventually have to shed.

In other words, at some point in the not too distant future, they will start turning roads back into gravel roads, slowly but surely, starting at the very outside edges and creeping inward until only a certain core of local paved roads remains.

Just now I did a search and sure enough, somebody started doing it a few years back: https://www.thegazette.com/news/more-roads-going-back-to-gravel-to-save-money/

And more recently: https://www.wpr.org/economy/taxes/small-wisconsin-towns-paved-roads-return-gravel

This is just one of the areas that will have to be cut back, of course. All those rural subdivisions, you know, are "too far away" for transit, too!

#Transportation #Roads #Economy #Taxes #TheOilDrum #DeGrowth

shekinahcancook, 4 days ago to LGBTQ

From Erin Reed:
"A new poll released by NORC and the Los Angeles Times reveals that 77% of U.S. citizens believe politicians are using debates over transgender and nonbinary people as a distraction from more pressing priorities. The same poll finds that majorities oppose forced outing laws for transgender youth. A slim majority indicated their support for protecting access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth when their parents and doctors feel those treatments are appropriate, though results were somewhat mixed depending on how the question was worded. These numbers align with several recent polls indicating that while some people may have nuanced opinions on transgender issues, Americans do not view these concerns as worthy of lawmakers' attention..."

https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/norc-poll-77-say-elected-officials

#LGBTQ #Trans #Politics #ChristoFascism #ChristianNationalists

shekinahcancook, 4 days ago to 13thFloor

One of Dracula’s Often Overlooked Inspirations Is the Indian Vetala - It was an English “translation” that turned a wise, if mischievous, figure into a bloodsucker, by Emma Starer Gross October 30, 2020

"...As legend goes, the vetala is a ghoulish trickster...that haunts cemeteries and forests, hanging upside down from trees and waiting for humans to play pranks on. They are said to exist in a realm between life & death, and have the ability to see into the past, present, and future. This boundless knowledge makes them invaluable to sorcerers, who often seek to capture & enslave the vetala to use its powers... “Growing up, my father taught me that the vetala could see everything,” recalls a priest at the Pasadena Hindu Temple in Los Angeles... “They could detect the good and the evil inside you. We were forever cautious around cemeteries. Because you never knew what might be waiting for you...”

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/monster-mythology-vetala

#mythology #History #India #Dracula #Vampire

shekinahcancook, 4 days ago to politics

You won’t want to miss the June issue of AU’s Church & State magazine! Our cover story details a burgeoning threat to American democracy, church-state separation and the many rights and freedoms that depend on them: Project 2025.

I also encourage you to check out AU President and CEO Rachel Laser’s column with advice for recent graduates: to be your authentic selves – and help others do the same.

Other stories this month include how the alarming strategies of a 1970s anti-LGBTQ+ pop star are still being used in the Christian Nationalist playbook today; a sneak peek into a new book co-authored by AU Board of Trustees member Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood about how mainline Protestants inadvertently helped build Christian Nationalism; and why Americans United is opposed to erecting a statue of the late evangelist Rev. Billy Graham in the U.S. Capitol.

https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/june-2024-church-state-magazine/

#Politics #ChristianNationalism #ChristoFascist #Democracy #Project2025 #LGBTQ #WomensRights

shekinahcancook, 6 days ago to 13thFloor

The History and Mystery of Yemen’s ‘Well of Hell’ - The first-ever expedition to the bottom of a startling desert sinkhole found wonders—but only natural ones, by Sarah Durn October 20, 2021

"...Actually, there was a concern more sinister than reptiles and spirits when Al-Kindi finally reached the bottom: unexploded ordnance. Since 2014, Yemen has been in the midst of a bloody civil war and, Al-Kindi explains, pilots sometimes drop bombs into caves, since people seek shelter inside. “So that got me worried a bit,” he says. “Apart from that, it was a very enjoyable moment.” ...Al-Kindi estimates the sinkhole could be several million years old, but its origin, too, is the subject of local legend. One legend says an ancient king forced jinn to carve the “well” as a place to hide his treasure. In others, the well has always served to contain evil, uncontrollable jinn..."

#Mythology #Superstition #Yemen #Geology #Sinkhole #Desert

shekinahcancook, 3 days ago (edited 1 day ago) to politics

Democracy can't survive when a minority is imposing their will on the majority. Of course, republicans don't want democracy, they want rule by oligarchy (which means only rich white christian men), not representation for everyone.

From Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/04/minority-rule-is-threatening-american-democracy-like-never-before/

#Politics #Democracy #Senate

shekinahcancook, 4 days ago to ukteachers

The brain can store nearly 10 times more data than previously thought, study confirms, by Emily Cooke
published 6/4/24

Scientists harnessed a new method to precisely measure the amount of information the brain can store, and it could help advance our understanding of learning.

"...Measuring the precision of synaptic plasticity has proven difficult in the past, as has measuring how much information any given synapse can store. The new study changes that.

To measure synaptic strength and plasticity, the team harnessed information theory, a mathematical way of understanding how information is transmitted through a system. This approach also enables scientists to quantify how much information can be transmitted across synapses, while also taking account of the "background noise" of the brain..."

https://www.livescience.com/health/neuroscience/the-brain-can-store-nearly-10-times-more-data-than-previously-thought-study-confirms

You can memorize more than you think you can, apparently.

#Education #Science #Brain #Memory #Learning

shekinahcancook, 4 days ago (edited 1 day ago) to Futurology

The brain can store a lot of data, but pollution will actually mess up your head in a bad way.

Air pollution exposure tied to heightened dementia risk, by Eric W. Dolan June 3, 2024

"...Recent research has suggested that environmental factors, such as air pollution, may contribute to the development of dementia. Air pollution, already known to cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, might also promote brain inflammation and accelerate cognitive decline. This study aimed to investigate these potential links in Denmark, a country with relatively low but still significant air pollution levels..."

Now imagine the pollution levels in the US, and how much more illness we have because of it.

https://www.psypost.org/air-pollution-exposure-tied-to-heightened-dementia-risk/

#Dementia #Pollution #Brain #Cognition #Environment #Psychology

shekinahcancook, 4 days ago to Archaeology

The Most Lavish Mesopotamian Tomb Ever Found Belongs to a Woman - And her clothing tells an important story, says archeologist Rita Wright, by Sarah Durn February 10, 2022

"...Archeologist and textile expert Rita Wright, professor emerita of anthropology at New York University, is the first to ever study Pu-abi’s garments based on the only surviving image of her. Her findings have just been published in the new book Art/ifacts and ArtWorks in the Ancient World. Atlas Obscura spoke to Wright about the role of women in ancient Ur, what we know of Queen Pu-abi’s life, and why textiles are so often overlooked in archeology.."

Textiles are overlooked because they are "women's" handiwork, of course. The modern science of archaeology began in the days where the only things considered to be of value were gold and jewels, or weaponry. Anything women did was considered uninteresting, not important, or presumed to be part of a "fertility cult."

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ur-queen-puabi-mesopotamia-textiles

#Archaeology #WomensHistory