I think someone should write a book about this current administration's rampant propaganda machine and title it "Data Says Otherwise".

This is the definition of genocide, from the UN convention in 1948. This is what is happening to Gaza as we speak.

STOMPY HAS A FRIEND! Meet our new emu ambassador, Nolie 💚 Nolie is a ~5 year old female emu that was a pet to a private owner who moved and couldn’t take her with, so now she will be with us here at Alveus to help teach people about the impacts of owning exotic pets.

The new video on empathy (among other things) by @lindsayellis.bsky.social has a section on the "vulgarity of numbers", which made me think of this scene from "And the Band Played On". While the context is different, the sentiment for me still rings true. Isn't it enough if one person suffers?

It’s always worth reading @jonathanbernstein.bsky.social I’d say today’s post is an urgent read. open.substack.com/pub/goodpoli...

Empathy is punk rock.

Today, my (very) new nonprofit delivered over 360 pounds of canned goods to Harvesters, a community food network here in Kansas City. It felt good to do, even though I'm now really sore from loading and unloading all that stuff. Time for a nap.

I wish tears alone could improve people's lives. As of late, I have had a wealth of them to give.

Trump made the SSA send out this email, I assume he's done it to other federal agencies, forcing them to celebrate the passage of his bill.

"I can't remember the last time I was happy." --Skyler White

Again I have to ask, in what rational world does this make sense? Make it make sense, please.

Good news for my foundation. We're officially covered under 501(c)(3).

People far more courageous than I will ever be are marching and protesting in LA. I wish I could do that kind of thing, but I'm limited for health reasons. I wish the best for everyone putting their existences on the line to save this nation from itself.

The rent for my apartment is about to increase more than 21%. I am just stunned. An "asset management" company bought out the property managers for my complex, and they're now going to milk us for everything they can. I'll have to cut back on contributions to my new foundation now.

I passed my bookkeeping certification exam this morning, which felt great. I'll have my cert in a week or two, and next I'll be taking a payroll course and QBO course and taking those respective exams. I hope to be able to do some remote bookkeeping/accounting work for nonprofits in the future.

I setup Paypal for my new foundation and thought "if I make a $1 donation link, I'll get so many more donations!" And then I saw that Paypal takes 49 cents plus 2.89% of the total, so for a $1 donation I would see only 48 cents and Paypal would get 52 cents. I guess I'm not doing that then.

When Twain said "*your* government", he meant that. It is *ours*, we own it, and we shape it, provided we participate and exercise our civic duties.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, and this month is also Autism Acceptance Month. I finally received my diagnosis just a few months ago, after decades of misdiagnoses and wondering what's really going on with me. It's bittersweet to have finally figured it out.

The JMWF has a checking account now, yay. Filed the 1023-EZ with the IRS, fee paid for with the foundation's funds. Now I wait. I was also told we can describe ourselves as an NGO even if we don't currently intend to have international operations.

My foundation had its initial board meeting, approved bylaws, conflict of interest policy, resolution to open a checking account. We're on our way. Next step for me is filing a 1023-EZ with the IRS to obtain 501(c)(3) status.

Something we should all think about once in a while: imagine traveling to a friend's place, maybe 10 miles away. Easy, right? Now, travel 10 miles directly up. Congratulations, you're dead. That is how little there is of our known universe that supports our existence.

Spent 3 days in inpatient psychiatric care after over a day spent at the ER. Glad to be out and home and focusing on projects both present and future. Being deprived of all electronics was just what I needed, plus giving my brain a hard reset.

My nonprofit foundation is now officially incorporated in the state of Missouri. There's more to do but this was an important first step.

Got the ball rolling on my private foundation. I should know in a couple weeks whether the articles of incorporation with the state are approved. This is a huge deal for me, even if initially I'm just setting up a pass-through to target the nonprofits I want to support.

So I'm a cis hetero white male, my Wall Street investments are fine, I'm in early retirement. Why should I care about the horrible shit that's currently happening? Because I'm a human being & social animal, with only this little blue ball in the vastness of space to sustain me. I also have empathy.

Finally at 51 years of age I got my autism diagnosis. It's a relief but also bittersweet because of the decades I went undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other disorders.

@hankgreen.bsky.social I want to take a shot and ask if you've heard of a place called Alveus Sanctuary, a nonprofit wildlife rehab and virtual education center near Austin, Texas. They provide refuge for non-releasable animals, and it would be amazing if you fit a visit into your schedule someday.

@aclu.bsky.social We need the ACLU of Missouri on Bluesky also. I noticed a number of state affiliates have already started accounts here.

My personal sustainability initiative is going... well, it's going. I'm coming across a lot of plastics that can't be recycled (looking for alternative products). Meanwhile, the rest of my effort seems to be going all right. I should be able to reduce my landfill-bound refuse by 75% or more.

Colonoscopy today. Biopsy to follow. I've been on liquids for a couple days and just now wrapping up the chugging of this bowel-cleansing solution. I just want this all to have been worth it.

I received a badge/credential for being a "top influencer", but my social media presence isn't much to talk about. I'll accept the badge anyway.

"Growing up, I slowly had this process of realizing that all the things around me that people had told me were just the natural way things were, the way things always would be, they weren’t natural at all..."

Took me a bit but I've found the framing to put into words a way to express to the people fretting about the death of the UHC CEO why we just aren't heeding their admonishment: The social contract stipulates that all life is sacred, and Brian Thompson violated it. But it's more than that.

Excerpt from a letter by John Adams to Abigail in 1780: "I could fill Volumes with Descriptions of Temples and Palaces, Paintings, Sculptures, Tapestry, Porcelaine, etc... -- if I could have time. But I could not do this without neglecting my duty...

Note this down

Now that Thanksgiving is over, there are things I wish I could say I was thankful for. I wish I could say I was thankful for people being kind and respectful of one another. I wish I was thankful that people are receiving shelter, food, and clothing as if it was a fundamental human right...