Air quality in some parts of the DC area is 180+. Maybe check tomorrow before you go out. If you have any unopened masks left from COVID, they could be useful, especially if they were originally made to filter urban air pollution.

#washingtondc

Nation Turns 250 Despite Presence Of #Irish - The Onion

https://theonion.com/nation-turns-250-despite-presence-of-irish/

The Onion never misses.

Reflecting Pool jello for your Independence Day celebration!

Posted by @annenc@bsky.social; photographer unknown

#ReflectingPool #IndependenceDay

I have a new hero.

For months, a sidewalk in my city had a hole in it. An orange traffic cone was placed in the hole, which stopped people from falling into the hole. However, the sidewalk couldn't be used by anyone with a stroller, rollator, or wheelchair. Those people had to choose between taking a detour or rolling in the street with the cars.

When Trump sent National Guard troops here, their supposed mission was to make the city safe and beautiful. However, the troops who were stationed within feet of the hole did nothing to fix it.

Finally, the hole was fixed! I've learned that the repair was done not by anyone official, but by a local man who got fed up with waiting for someone official to take action.

That man is my hero.

#hero #TacticalUrbanism #DIY #sidewalk #ShareGoodNewsToo

Heavy amounts of lightning with a lot of these storms, and lightning is jumping well outside the storm clouds, as far as 5 miles out. Good reminder that if you can hear thunder, even with no storm over you, you can be struck.

Cluster of storms between Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, and Culpepper are really lit up right now ⚡⚡⚡ #VAWX

Journalist Kyle Clark says a woman by the #ReflectingPool in #WashingtonDC is handing out green jello shots in honor of the algae.

I never liked the green jello... until now. 😂

#Trump #FourthOfJuly

It depresses me to see litter left all over the ground at the end of events in support of good causes. I want to believe that the people who support the same causes as me are good people. How can I believe that when they are unrepentant litter bugs?

#litter #trash

Sent a Letter to the Editor to The Irish Times. Doesn't look like they're going to use it:
Sir,
As Ireland saunters towards a multi-billion-euro carbon compliance fine in 2030, how odd that we think it normal for each individual to be carried around by one-and-a-half tons of metal – every one all on their owney-o.
Yours…
#IrishTimes

What's your pet grammar peeve? That one rule you learned but everyone else still gets wrong?

#WritingCommunity #writing #AmWriting #reading #books

📗 "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

A classic non-fiction about science and humanity's journey towards being able to gather knowledge about outer space. Although plenty of new things have been added to this knowledge since its original publication, it's still a very interesting read. It doesn't feel that outdated at all.

Sagan's excitement for science is infectious. He can make any boring topic sound like a magical tale you've finally gotten the privilege of hearing about. At times this book made me feel incredibly small and dumb and insignificant, just like looking at the stars can do. But at other times I felt as big as the universe itself, because every piece of knowledge gathered and added to our collective could be groundbreaking.

I'm trying to write this after having experienced more than a week of >30°C while the temperature outside is rising to 40°C for the first time in my life. Forgive the typos of my molten brain. In this book Sagan also talks about surviving the Cold War and making it through climate change. I don't think he had high hopes for us when he wrote it, and the future sure proved him wrong by being even more depressing than he feared.

I feel sad about people wasting so much potential and destroying the earth, but I loved reading this book. I had the text-only edition, but was able to view all of the pictures and illustration on the Internet Archive afterwards. I'm looking forward to the tv show version of this. Maybe after the heat disappears a little, so my brain can handle it.

#AmReading

I'm currently suffering from a painful medical condition, and I would like to say a hearty "fuck you" to all the influencers who say that this condition can be cured by a healthy diet. My diet was excellent even before I developed this condition, and is now so close to perfect that I've achieved dietary sainthood! A healthy diet is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't fix everything, and influencers shouldn't claim that it does.

#influencers

I'm frustrated by my neighbors' response to the heat. All that anyone talks about is how to get air conditioning installed in more homes.

The thing is, most of us in my city would be perfectly comfortable if we could simply leave our windows open at night then close our windows in the morning. Nighttime temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit are cold enough that we could sleep very comfortably with the windows open. Instead, we keep our windows closed, due to the risk of a criminal entering through an open window. Closed windows mean that our homes retain the day's heat, and it can be significantly hotter inside than outside.

We don't need air conditioning. What we need is protection from crime. I'm usually a big advocate of treating criminals well, but right now, I wouldn't mind seeing home invaders given very harsh penalties (and never be released on bail before trial). Then, perhaps, we could leave our windows open overnight and be comfortable.

Please, no responses about how universal basic income would be better than harsh penalties. The criminals around me already have their basic needs met. They rob because they want more than the basics.

#heatwave #crime #AirConditioning #ClimateEmergency

Does it ever bother you when someone says "it was foolish of me to associate with a wrongdoer" instead of "it was foolish of me to not take notice or action against the wrong"?

It seems like all we ever hear is the former. That seems revealing, no? What powerful people regret is the blemish on their reputation, not the fact that they could've potentially used their power to interfere with wrongdoing.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/house-committee-epstein-gates-transcript-9.7246870

#Epstein #BillGates #EpsteinFiles #Politics

Reminder; Maryland primary elections are TOMORROW Tuesday June 23. Get ‘er done!

Today is World Refugee Day. Here’s a poem called ‘Refugees’.

Rotten fruit. Today's cartoon by Sini Pismestrovic. More cartoons: https://www.cartoonmovement.com/

#FIFA #WorldCup #Infantino #Trump

It has been reported
that it will take
around a billion dollars
to contain the outbreak
of New World screwworm,
and while this may sound
like quite a lot of money
at least we saved
fifteen million dollars
thanks to previously cutting
a screwworm monitoring program.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@OpenMediaOrg/116760366128760193

"I have nothing to hide" said the person who had no idea that in a few months they'd be sheltering a refugee in their attic.

"I have nothing to hide" said the person who didn't realize their emails with their lawyer would be seized and scrutinized.

"I have nothing to hide" says the person who has no friends who lived in Eastern Europe in the 1980s.

"I have nothing to hide" says the person who doesn't know their ex from college who was a little stalkerey still searches the darkweb for them.

"I have nothing to hide" says the person who thinks that overreach will stop at this bill.

#CDNPoli #Canada #Politics #privacy #billC22

Please read if you live in Washington DC or have friends in DC.

As you may know, the primary and special elections are underway. The last day of voting will be Tuesday, June 16, 2026. There are many candidates, leading to some voters being unsure who to vote for. Also, this is DC's first election using ranked choice voting.

If you are overwhelmed by the number of candidates, a great place to start researching which candidates are most likely to align with your values is this quiz: https://helpmevote.onrender.com/en/

Pay attention not only to your percentage of agreement with each candidate, but also to how many questions each percentage was based on. Personally, I rule out any candidate who has no known position on hot-button issues like whether the city needs more police. I can respect a candidate who disagrees with me, but I cannot respect one who hasn't stated an opinion.

Ranked choice voting means that you can cast your vote for whichever candidate you like best, but also list "backup" candidates who will get your vote if your preferred candidate comes in last and is eliminated from the contest. For more information see: https://www.dcboe.org/rcv
The availability of ranked choice voting means that it's a good idea to think not only about which person you most want winning a contest, but also who your "backup" candidates should be.

Along with the primary election, there's also a simultaneous special election for an empty at-large council seat. This means that even independents can vote.

Some non-citizen residents of Washington DC are eligible to vote in LOCAL elections here. If you are a non-citizen voter, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you register as a NON-CITIZEN voter, and NEVER receive a ballot for a federal election. Sadly, there are very serious consequences for non-citizens registered to vote in federal elections.

Please share this information with anyone you know in DC. Boosts welcome by people with followers in DC.

#WashingtonDC #voting #election #quiz