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@porcoesphino.bsky.social

270 followers 470 following 1.2K posts

Exploring the world • Programmer • Flying • Scuba Ex-mechatronics grad learning more about geology and biology and refreshing my maths and physics (Also, set "alt text before posting" in accessibility.) https://porcoesphino.github.io/phylogeny/

porcoesphino.github.io

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porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · Nov 30

I had to stop to film this during my Thanksgiving drive

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porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · 8h

And 4-13% of Dems aren't...

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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 10h

Canada isn't immune to US culture war skirmishes. Our Parliament is once again rehashing the validity of systemic discrimination.

A rule, neutral on its face, can still have a disparate impact on a specific population.

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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 1d

Just openly cheering the destruction of any representation of gay people in public space. They think their power is totally unrestricted, and the entire country will support them rolling back society to the 1950s, or maybe the 1850s

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porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · 2d

It's kind of more that Blacksky was still using some Bluesky infrastructure and they're rushing to add their own (I think its opensourced and provided by the Bluesky team, just run by Blacksky like the infrastructure they currently have).

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2d

BEST BIG CITY IN THE US 9 YEARS IN A ROW.

While critics try to paint Chicago as something to fear, the rest of the world knows the truth — this is the best big city in America.

Best Big City: Chicago Wins Award 9th Year in a Row

Learn why Chicago was voted the Best Big City for the 9th consecutive year by exploring our vibrant culture, welcoming inclusion, and so much more.

www.choosechicago.com

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porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · 2d

For anyone looking for a non-US alternative to image hosting, I've found PixelFed to be great so far

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Media Matters for America @mmfa.bsky.social · 2d

After Jesse Watters said last week that America needed to bomb or “maybe gas” the United Nations headquarters, the UN reached out to Fox News and Watters privately apologized. The incident is part of a much larger pattern: www.mediamatters.org/jesse-watter...

Jesse Watters' history of inflammatory and dehumanizing remarks

Fox News host Jesse Watters’ inflammatory rhetoric has reached new lows during the second Trump administration. After the right-wing prime-time host said last week that America needed to bomb or “mayb...

www.mediamatters.org

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Lawrence Hurley @lawrencehurley.bsky.social · 3d

Head of OLC is a former Alito clerk
www.cnn.com/2025/10/06/p...

Exclusive: Classified Justice Department opinion authorizes strikes on secret list of cartels, sources say | CNN Politics

The Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion that justifies lethal strikes against a secret and expansive list of cartels and suspected drug traffickers, according to multiple peop...

www.cnn.com

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wordsornumbers.bsky.social @wordsornumbers.bsky.social · 4d

“Trump’s incoherent ramblings about Osama Bin Laden raises new concerns about Biden’s cognitive decline.”

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Alex Spahn 🌋🌪️☄️ @spahn711.bsky.social · 4d

Dancing across the sky. #photography

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competentposter @competentposter.bsky.social · 5d

wizard frog is insane

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Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · 4d

Jane Goodall offers sage advice for the rest of us. #3E

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Cristian Farias @cristianfarias.com · 4d

This video of Chicagoans intervening to save a man from being abducted off the streets by ICE is making the rounds on Instagram.

Community action works.

Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DPZL2AL...

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WatchYourRepsSC @watchyourrepssc.bsky.social · 4d

He is so clueless. He sold out Afghanistan to the Taliban and was too chicken to join the military during Vietnam.

He's never been politically correct, but now we have his permission to say what we want, and he cannot arrest anyone for their free speech.

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porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · 4d

Yeah, this. Everyone that is complaining about the Dems not doing enough kind of seem to be ignoring how if they did, based on the polls, it would look bad. Even having them aiming to show more of what's happening has a pretty high risk of backfiring I think. Still, I think they really should be

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Robert “The Bobby Yaga” McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 4d

Robert Goddard, rocketry and space flight pioneer, was born #OTD in 1882.
🧪🔭🚀

After a 1926 liquid-fuel launch:
"It looked almost magical as it rose, without any appreciably greater noise or flame, as if it said, 'I've been here long enough; I think I'll be going somewhere else if you don't mind.’”

Goddard, in a heavy long coat, standing next to his wire frame liquid fuel rocket prototype. It is winter out, with bare branches and cloudy skies.

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The Upshot @upshot.nytimes.com · 4d

Who Still Has Temporary Protected Status in the U.S.?

Conflicting court rulings have plunged hundreds of thousands of people with temporary protection from deportation into uncertainty.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/04/u...

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porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · 5d

An edit would be lovely: and that's huge

porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · 6d

I thought these were meta tags with property="og:image" and content set to the image. Is it just that the server response fills in the profile image, and thats hugs. The server just needs to point to a smaller one?

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porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · 6d

SMBC is great, here's the link to that comic:

smbc-comics.com/index.php?db...

And @zachweinersmith.bsky.social is on here and is worth following too

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - AAA

smbc-comics.com

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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 6d

BREAKING: The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 100-page opinion -- says it is unequivocally, lopsidedly easy to determine that the Trump administration's view of birthright citizenship is wrong.

www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 6d

Unanimous First Circuit takes pains to emphasize that this was an incredibly easy case to decide, despite writing a very long opinion knocking down every ridiculous argument the Trump admin made.

The analysis that follows is necessarily lengthy, as we
must address the parties' numerous arguments in each of the cases
involved. But the length of our analysis should not be mistaken
for a sign that the fundamental question that these cases raise
about the scope of birthright citizenship is a difficult one. It
is not, which may explain why it has been more than a century since
a branch of our government has made as concerted an effort as the
Executive Branch now makes to deny Americans their birthright.

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porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · 6d

I can't disagree with you there. I'm just used to a more libertarian framing for federated services

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porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · 6d

Doesn't that also come with rules, limits and enforcement?

I think these things are necessary, I just think its often downed out in discussions by some ideal of an idealised future

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porcoesphino.bsky.social @porcoesphino.bsky.social · 6d

This is the first democratic index I'm aware of that includes Donald Trump's second term. The democratic backsliding is obvious. I didn't include it, but the chart comparing responses by Democrats, Republicans and experts is fascinating

brightlinewatch.org/violence-red...

Expert evaluations of democratic performance over time

Ordered by change since November '24

Box and asterisk denote significant change since November '24 (p<.01)

These were all a drop in democratic performance, some large

Agencies do not punish *
No interference with press*
Legislature can limit executive *
Gov stats are not influenced *
Judicial independence *
Constitution limits executive *
No private gains from office *
Sanctions for misconduct
Common understanding of facts
Patriotism not questioned
Military not exploited
Equal political/legal rights *
Equal voting rights *
All parties allowed *
Fraud-free elections *
No foreign influence
Contribs not determine policy
Law enforcement neutral
Free speech
Protest tolerated *
Judiciary can limit executive*
Law applies equally *
Compromise sought *
Districts not biased
Votes have equal impact
Investigations not compromised*
No political violence *
Opinions heard on policy*
Concedes defeat
Participation high
Candidates disclose info
Campaign funds transparent
Law enforcement not exploited
Military neutral
Organizations independent

Expert perceptions of threats and benefits to democracy

Pruned list for when 75% saw an issue as a serious threat

Rep. Hortman and spouse killed 95%
BLS commissioner fired
TX redraws map
UCLA faces demands from Trump
SCOTUS allows firing independent agency members without cause
Trump attempts to fire Cook
National Guard deployed to L.A.
Columbia settles
FCC approves merger after Paramount settlement
National Guard deployed in D.C.
SCOTUS allows DHS to deport noncitizens without notice
Bolton house raided
Red states send National Guard to D.C.
Paramount settles with Trump
Charlie Kirk killed
Trump to create Natl. Guard quick reaction force
NY AG investigated for mortgage fraud
Political approval required for research grants
SCOTUS allows mass layoffs
ICE expands enforcement and detention
Baraka and Mclver charged outside immigration facility
Trump claims authority to use military force vs smugglers

Expert perceptions of threats and benefits to democracy

An ordered descending list of issues clipped so all issues have more than 75% of experts perceiving the issue as a serious threat

Third term sought by Trump
Habeas corpus suspended
Insurrection Act invoked
Orders to not enforce court
order
Case stalled against ally of
president
Military deployed against
"voter fraud" in 2026
Case opened against opponent
of president
U.S. citizen imprisoned abroad
Birthright citizenship denied
U.S. citizen denaturalized
National Guard deployments to
new cities
SCOTUS limits Voting Rights
Act
Obama official indicted for Trump/Russia investigation
Economic indicator altered or
delayed
Census ordered before 2030
Byrd Rule bypassed in reconciliation bill
Harvard settles with Trump
admin.

Expert ratings of greatest threats to democracy in Trump's second term

Listed items are seen as a serious by a threat by 75% of experts

## Trump Il threats

DOJ investigators fired
Refusal to return Abrego
Garcia
Jan 6 offenders pardoned
DOJ investigate ActBlue
12+ inspectors general fired
National Guard deployed to L.A.
Musk advisor to Trump
Pressure on Columbia and
Harvard
Revoke Harvard tax exemption
DOGE access federal systems

# Potential future threats

Third term sought by Trump
Habeas corpus suspended
Citizens to El Salvador
Insurrection Act invoked
Orders to not enforce court order
Military deployed against voter fraud" in midterms
Unprecedented denaturalizations
Case opened against opponent of president
Case stalled against ally of president
SCOTUS limits Voting Rights Act

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