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Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP

Charlie Jane "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" Anders 🏳️‍⚧ @charliejane.bsky.social · 16h

Today is National Coming Out Day!

It's also Freedom to Read Day, aka the last day of Banned Books Week.

This feels right — because the main reason they try to ban books is to keep people from dreaming they could ever come out.

My latest newsletter: buttondown.com/charliejane/...

They Want To Ban Books To Keep Us From Coming Out

Quick housekeeping! I’m doing a flurry of events once again: Tuesday I’ll be in the Koret Auditorium at the SF Public Library talking about banned books for...

buttondown.com

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Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 12h

It's utterly devastating to see decades of progress for the disability community being wiped out in just a few months.

There was of course much work to be done, but now that effort will have to be devoted to clawing back the gains now being ripped away.

David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · 12h

The end of federal enforcement of special ed laws. Some states - including MN - will likely be ok. But a lot of disabled kids in a lot of states are going to lose the education that federal law and decades of jurisprudence say they are owed.

Education Department wipes out special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union says

The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

www.usatoday.com

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Mark Blacknell @blacknell.bsky.social · 22h

Always a good time, this.

(The wine and cheese and books part.)

Capitol Hill Books @capitolhillbooks.bsky.social · 22h

Hey, DC: Are you poor and/or furloughed but looking for good times? This Saturday from 5pm to 7:30pm we’ll have free wine & cheese plus 10% off all purchases.

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Dan Vock @danvock.bsky.social · 1d

First it was delivery drivers on mopeds in D.C. and now rideshare drivers in Chicago. I've been amazed that Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, etc. haven't said anything (that I've seen) about this.

Gregory Pratt @royalpratt.bsky.social · 1d

ICE went after rideshare drivers at O’Hare today, according to statement from Illinois Drivers Alliance

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J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 1d

193+ times in 21 months might sound like a lot, but that's only...

...[checks math]...

....over twice a week, every week, for nearly two years....

Alex Koma @alexkoma.bsky.social · 2d

This sort of thing is not exactly uncommon: the VP of the police union got caught doing virtually the same a few years ago:
washingtoncitypaper.com/article/5881...

But the extent of this case is unusual. BEGA says he did this 193 times over a two-year period!
bega.dc.gov/sites/bega/f...

Former D.C. Police Union Vice Chair Arrested for Felony Fraud

The Metropolitan Police Department paid former D.C. Police Union Vice Chair Medgar Webster $33,845 while he was working a second job at Whole Foods.

washingtoncitypaper.com

J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 1d

Alex Koma @alexkoma.bsky.social · 2d

Quite the ethics case here: An MPD officer got caught working his second job at Giant while he was also on duty (including posting on Insta about going to the movies while he was theoretically working).

He got charged with fraud, but acquitted. Now he faces $10,500 in fines...

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dan, crisp & juicy enjoyer 🦀🏳️‍🌈👋🏾 @justupthepike.bsky.social · 1d

five months after a driver hit me and my dog, MCDOT has again refused to install a stop sign at the intersection, calling it “unwarranted.” they will build a crosswalk, which should already have been there! it took a month to get this response. i am furious and, frankly, defeated

dan, crisp & juicy enjoyer 🦀🏳️‍🌈👋🏾 @justupthepike.bsky.social · 11d

I still have bruises from this driver's negligence. my dog has spots where his fur will never grow back. and five months later I am begging MCDOT to answer my emails, let alone to fix the intersection where it happened. at least the driver's insurance paid out. ggwash.org/view/99589/a...

A driver hit me and my dog, and here’s the proof

This month, my dog and I became members of a not-so-exclusive club: the 60,000 pedestrians who will be injured in a car crash each year. In the process of writing about this I get stuck: I want to bri...

ggwash.org

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Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP

Dan Mihalopoulos @dmihalopoulos.bsky.social · 1d

‘Member when ‘28 presidential hopeful/then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel picked Musk to tunnel from downtown to ORD?

Never happened, of course, and judging by this story from out West, it’s probably a good thing it didn’t happen

Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 1d

Nevada state regulators have accused Elon Musk’s Boring Co. of digging without approval, releasing untreated water onto city streets and spilling muck from its trucks, according to a new document obtained by @citycastvegas.bsky.social and @propublica.org.

Elon Musk’s Boring Co. Accused of Nearly 800 Environmental Violations on Las Vegas Project

Nevada could’ve fined the company more than $3 million, but regulators are seeking a reduced penalty of $242,800, citing an “extraordinary number of violations.”

www.propublica.org

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David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 1d

So much about this is disgraceful, but it is good that DCAG worked to secure all the justice they could.

Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle.bsky.social · 1d

It was almost four years ago that Nina Larson was killed by a driver as she crossed Columbia Road NW in Adams Morgan. (Story: dcist.com/story/21/11/...) It took until this week for the driver to be found guilty of two misdemeanor offenses.

24-Year-Old Aspiring Opera Singer, Restaurant Worker Killed By Driver In Adams Morgan

Nina Larson was an aspiring opera singer, American University graduate, and employee at Mintwood Place in Adams Morgan.

dcist.com

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J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 1d

Some people really need to think more
about how they punctuate their email headlines.

Not that I wouldn't believe cars are the number one killer of Americans (they're certainly up there), but I'm pretty sure that's not what this meant to imply...

Phone alert of new email from Apple News: "How to stop the No. 1 killer of Americans, cars
that can last over 250,000 miles, and more

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Alex Taliadoros @alexctaliadoros.bsky.social · 1d

The Trump Administration fired thousands of dedicated lifelong civil servants and replaced them with people like this.

“In late July, Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, arrived at a Ritz-Carlton in Orlando with a lower-ranking female colleague and others from their department. When the group reached the front desk, the woman learned she didn’t have a hotel room.

Ingrassia then informed her that she would be staying with him, according to five administration officials familiar with the episode. Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him, three of those officials said.”

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Emily L. Hauser (she/her) ❌👑 @emilylhauser.bsky.social · 1d

They brought the war zone with them and when we wouldn't give them violence, they provided it themselves.

@NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) @newsjennifer.bsky.social · 1d

Chicago is safe, beautiful and vibrant. In fact, it was just voted the best big city in America for the ninth year in a row. If the jaw dropping images you’ve seen recently on TV or social media make it look like a war zone, that’s on Donald Trump. My latest:
open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...

Fearless journalists & vigilant residents tell Chicago's story

The abuses of federal power are far worse here in Chicago. Don't look away.

open.substack.com

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David Ramos @imagineterrain.bsky.social · 2d

No matter how thematically appropriate the imagery may be, a border of fasces around your rendering is always going to prompt awkward questions.

alex block @alexblock.bsky.social · 2d

Never mind that the rendering magically erases the adjacent McDonalds drive thru; the success of this seems almost entirely dependent on how you control the flow of cars through the space.

It wants to be a cobbled town square; as if there are no cars, just horses and buggies

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Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP

Waldo Jaquith, but Spooky @waldo.net · 2d

Johnny Cash, a guitar slung around his neck, flipping the bird at the camera, an angry expression on his face. It's extremely punk.

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J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 2d

On a related note, has anyone heard anything about Transportation Camp PGH?

Enjoyed the last couple, would love to go back again this year...if it's happening (next month?), I can't seem to find any information about it.

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J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 2d

Excellent news!

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J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 2d

Tonight! (Right now, in fact!)

J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 9d

Due to Yom Kippur, the October #ANC1B meeting—usually the first Thursday of the month—is pushed back a week.

This meeting will be hybrid, and they have a new location for in-person attendance! Join online or at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St NW (btwn Chapin & Euclid), Ground Floor.

🔹 ANC 1B Monthly Meeting (HYBRID) — ANC 1B

We’d love to have you join us for our ANC 1B meeting. This meeting will be hybrid (in person, with a virtual option). Please note the new location for the in-person meeting: Josephine Butler Park...

www.anc1b.org

J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 2d

this one is kind enough to note they're run by another account already flagged by lists maintained by engagement-hacks.bsky.social (bsky.app/profile/did:...) and rahaeli.bsky.social‬ (https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ocsbmyulc2grbq3esflddyj6/lists/3l42gs6pmns22), so that's an easy report-and-block…

J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 2d

almost all new followers eventually get at least a cursory look to see who's out there

and frankly, if you follow this many people, I don't believe you're actually that interested in any of them, you're just fishing for views. Which is close enough to spam, you're _probably_ gonna get blocked.

new follower "St Louis Books" has 12.3K followers and follows a whopping 49.7K other accounts.

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gamera obscura @ohrobin.bsky.social · 2d

No incarnation of any political party at any time in any country on earth has ever spent so much time thinking about children’s genitals.

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 2d

Besides linking Tylenol in pregnant women to autism, RFK Jr. now says circumcision is part of the reason why kids are autistic.

"Children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, and it's highly likely because they're given Tylenol. None of this is positive..."

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J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 2d

ticketmaster hates me (the feeling is mutual)

(I get this across multiple devices and browsers, and have for months or longer, so I suspect the 'unusual behavior' is blocking ads and tracking nonsense, or something of that nature...)

Your Browsing Activity Has Been Paused

We've detected unusual behavior on either your network or your browser.

To resolve this:
* Sign in to your account if you haven't already
* Change your Wi-Fi or cellular network
* Switch devices or move to a different location if possible

Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP

Mark Blacknell @blacknell.bsky.social · 2d

Taking this on should be a special project for Virginia electeds like @markwarner.bsky.social, @kaine.senate.gov and @beyer.house.gov. This affects all Americans, but your constituents have a front row experience with all of this.

Cristian Farias @cristianfarias.com · 2d

At its core, the militarization of U.S. cities is an affront to Democratic, and democratic, governance—a gambit to set up a national police force, with the president as its chief, where neither the Constitution nor federal law allow it.

For @nymag.com, I probe how to put a stop to this perversion.

Trump Is Not Entitled to a National Police Force

How the hostile takeover of Democratic cities should end.

nymag.com

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J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 2d

Dammit, sounds like I left Philly too soon 😹

Tim Marchman @timmarchman.bsky.social · 3d

Please be aware that there is a scrapple sculpting contest at the Reading Terminal Market tomorrow at noon. (If you don’t know what this means you probably don’t want to.)

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Nick Sementelli @nsementelli.bsky.social · 3d

This is what's in store for opening day of the new Commanders stadium unless we start building a second station right away

Christina Henderson @chenderson.bsky.social · 3d

Closing the larger entrance for the Navy Yard-Ballpark station for escalator repair 1 week before Nationals Park hosts 3 sold out events leads to this.

Dangerous bottleneck on the street level. Bottleneck at the machines. And near empty cars because folks can’t actually get to the platform in time.

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J. I. Swiderski, MURP @swiderski.bsky.social · 3d

I don't even like those things when they're going in a straight line and on the right side of the road.

Had one of those double decker beasts shimmy by in Center City Philly the other day and I got fully on the other side of the sidewalk away from it...