I’ve been a fan of Stranger Things since it first premiered on Netflix in 2016. It returns for its final season on 11/26/25. That being the case, I’m rewatching season four to refresh my memory. I’d forgotten how good it is. I can’t wait to see who they are and how they look now.

For my friends interested in birds, a gift link. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/c...

This is absolutely fantastic! Tagging @lauraannegilman.bsky.social for Jewish &protest interest.

Trump’s new ballroom will be 90,000 square feet? A football field is 57,000 square feet. What’s he building, a convention center?

What you can do now open.substack.com/pub/robertre...

It. Won't. Stop. With. Immigrants. It. Won't. Stop. With. Immigrants. It. Won't. Stop. With. Immigrants. It. Won't. Stop. With. Immigrants. It. Won't. Stop. With. Immigrants. It. Won't. Stop. With. Immigrants. It. Won't. Stop. With. Immigrants. It. Will. Move. On. To. The. Next. Group. He. Hates.

The fight against the Big Bad Bill isn’t over yet. Even though it passed in the Senate, it needs to pass in the House w/all of the senatorial revisions: the tax cuts for the rich, a giant loss of Medicaid & SNAP funds, so much more. Call your representatives NOW. Don’t let the phones stop ringing.

What's in Trump's bill: -Adds 4 trillion to the deficit -Kicks 11 million people off health insurance -3 million get thrown off food stamps -Electricity goes up by 30% -Millions of jobs could disappear -Wealthiest see $12K a year back -Poorest people $1600 more a year

“Independence day is canceled because of fear of secret police raids” is really a level of on the nose political symbolism you just can’t make up.

Baldwin: I remember my cross-examination of Secretary Kennedy from HHS, and he said, “We will have radical transparency.” But what they’ve actually had is radical opaqueness. They never answer a letter. They never answer a question. It’s one of the ways that democracy begins to degrade—

This is a huge win and it’s also a direct result of the grassroots effort. If you've made noise about this over the past few days and weeks, you have a lot to be proud of.

Cat bed? Who needs a cat bed? I love my unbothered king. All hail the sleeping monarch!

It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday The regular crowd shuffles in There’s an old man sittin’ next to me Making love to his tonic and gin He says, “Perhaps a tweak to the algorithm is in order.”

1/2 Jewish people were set on fire in Boulder at a peaceful vigil for Israeli hostages. That’s not “activism.” That’s terrorism. Antisemitism is not hypothetical—it’s happening right now in the open. If you're still silent, you're complicit. #JewSky coloradosun.com/2025/06/01/b...

#SIFF2025 film #5: TINA Choir teacher Mareta loses her daughter in an earthquake & loses her interest in life as well. She engages again when she takes a job at a private school and launches a choir there, building relationships with her students, music & life once more. Definitely recommended.

#SIFF2025 film 4: MEETING POL POT Drama based on real events. Three journalists go to Cambodia to interview its leader Pol Pot amidst his regime’s decline. When they realize they’ve been taken to a bogus “ideal” village & start asking questions their situation becomes perilous. V. good, recommended.

#SIFF2025 film 3: WOLF LAND Documentary about the challenges of wolf/human interaction in the northeast region of WA state and non-lethal methods to help maintain wolf populations while protecting cattle. Interesting story w/an appealing subject and some beautiful shots of the wild #PNW landscape.

Second #SIFF2025 film: Secret Festival, therefore I am under NDA and can‘t tell you anything about it—which is fine because it was . . . interesting, which is what you often get with Secret Festival films.

First #SIFF2025 film: THE LIBRARIANS This excellent, important documentary follows several librarians fighting book bans in TX, FL, etc. It shows how Moms for Liberty & the Repub machine are working in schools, using the vague, inflammatory language of all such propagandists. Highly recommended.

The 51st Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) has started and tonight’s my first film. This time of year, I wanna run down the streets yelling, “Festival! Festival!” at the top of my lungs like some demented follower of Landru. (Star Trek reference. . .) I’m so excited! #SIFF2025

Timeline cleanse! All my orchids are popping. Show me yours!

Exclusive: National Science Foundation staff were told today that the agency’s 37 divisions—across all eight directorates—are being abolished and the number of programs within those divisions will be drastically reduced.

You know the rule, friends: When Tom Holland dances, you must watch and repost.

If you see this, post the most recent photo of yourself from your camera roll. No cheating!

If you’re curious about the Federal workforce cuts—what’s been done and what’s planned—The NY Times has been tracking and checking. Here’s their data—and they say it’s likely an undercount. If you weren’t sure that Trump is dismantling our government, think again. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

I knew it would come. I’m devastated. What a catastrophe for this country. Our inheritance. Our treasure.

I stand with the penguins of Heard and McDonald Islands!

I spoke with nearly two dozen creatives and publishers in the tabletop industry today. It's bad. It's real bad.

Excellent work by new NYT headline writer Werner Herzog

For folks attending protests, this is some epic defense. The Russian accent of the speaker is a little tough, but her points are clear and mindblowing. Something to bear in mind as things . . . change.

The remarkable Temple Grandin here talks about the need for systems and education that support visual thinkers to foster a diverse and inventive society and workforce. As someone who is not only intensely verbal but also very visual, I agree. Recommended reading. nyti.ms/4iCAbSn

A top Democratic congressman goes off during a DOGE hearing and calls out Elon for trying to cut Social Security. More of this please.

Here’s an example of a Trump appointee sticking so hard to his talking points that he’s a walking demonstration of the inability to address a straightforward question. Incredible.

As the OP says, more of this please!

My friend Colleen’s been out of work for quite a while & has a senior kitty with diabetes. She’s been working as hard as she can to find a job & doing whatever freelance or part time work she can do in the meanwhile. But rent is due and now she needs help. Can you give a little? gofund.me/a35fccb9

Holy shit. The United States was not invited to the NATO summit on Ukraine in Paris on March 11. There’s no other meaning: The United States was just benched for colluding with the enemy.

This weekend, I’m attending Emerald City ComicCon and, as usual, I’m having a marvelous time. I will, however, note that my pet peeve has risen its head again this year. I wrote about it last year on Medium. medium.com/@jannasilver...

This is the kind of advocacy we need: strong, informed young people speaking truth to power.

We can take all of that frustration, anger & shame we feel today AND the money we DIDN'T spend during today's boycott & send it here. Trump doesn't want peace. He wants Ukraine's minerals & for Zelenskyy to bend the knee. Fuck Trump! Fuck Vance! Slava Ukraini! u24.gov.ua/armored-ambu...

A moment, if I may, for my favorite fannish obsession: I’m so there I’m barely here. BRING IT ON!

I love this woman. We need more of this—in Congress, in journalism, in universities, and in public discourse.

Crockett: "It's just that they're idiots. These are the same guys as it relates to our nuclear stockpile, they're like, 'Oh, wait a minute, we needed those guys? Can we get them back? Oh, we don't know how to.' I don't know how anyone can look at this administration & feel a semblance of confidence"

Proud to be one of the 350 rabbis signing this statement — an ad in the NYT today and a declaration of our values. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... For more—and to sign— go to saynotoethniccleansing.org

I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service. “Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.

I woke up, grabbed my iPad. As the news app opened I thought “What new horrors has Trump executed today?” The exec order that pauses grants & fed aid could be disaster for farmers, NGOs, etc.—& likely illegal. It reeks of Orwellian Newspeak. We’re living the dystopia science fiction warned us about.

“The CCAR will vigorously protect all who may be impacted by this unnecessary and harmful executive order and any other local, state, or federal initiative that erases the identities or restricts the rights and freedoms of nonbinary and transgender Americans. “ www.ccarnet.org/central-conf...

Harris beat Trump 54% to 43% among voters ages 18-24. Harris beat Trump 53% to 45% among voters ages 25-29. Harris beat Trump 51% to 45% among voters ages 30-39. Trump to Fox: “I won youth by 36 points.” www.cnn.com/2025/01/22/p...

When you live on the top floor of your building, it's disconcerting to hear footsteps *above* you. They're cleaning the roof & gutters this morning, & it's been stomp-stomp-stomp-roar-roar-roar all morning. I know it's unlikely, but I find myself fearful of the workers falling through my ceiling.

It occurred to me this morning, after yet another customer service interaction, that Comcast’s is the only customer service line I keep as a contact in my phone. :: sigh ::

Happy new year, my friends!