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tedroche.contoocook.org
Ted Roche 🌄 ⛈ 🌡 ⛅ 🌪 🌀
@tedroche.contoocook.org
730 followers 430 following 680 posts
He/him. Wx observer: CWOP/CoCoRaHS/SKYWARN® StormSpotter at https://contoocook.org. ¾-retired computer consultant, book & article author, conference speaker. Veteran USN submarine nuclear plant operator. #ETTD, duh. Slava Ukraini. Mundus sine Cæsaribus.
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tedroche.contoocook.org
So many choices. How do you pick just one?
Bluesky dialog for reporting an account. Choices include "Misleading," "Adult content," "Harassment or hate," "Violence," "Child safety," "Self-harm or dangerous behaviors," "Breaking site rules," and "Other"
January 17, 2026 at 7:42 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Decades in the making. Violent treatment of the least of us escalates to violence against us all. We were warned. Well worth reading:
Screenshot of one paragraph of this excellent essay, "This all felt mind-numbingly familiar. All of these arguments were deployed routinely in one form or another in the flurry of high-profile cases caught on video of police officers killing unarmed Black men from 2013-2020. Whether in the case of George Floyd, who was murdered not far from where Ms. Good was killed, or Philando Castile, who was also killed in the Twin Cities while sitting in his car with his fiancée’ and her four-year-old daughter, or Samuel DuBose, who was killed in his car in Cincinnati after being approached by an officer and then shot at point blank range as he attempted to drive away. The officer said he was being “dragged” when DuBose started to drive away. The video of the incident showed that the officer was not dragged, or Walter Scott who was pulled over in his car in North Charleston, South Carolina, and then shot five times in the back as he fled by Officer Michael Slager."
January 10, 2026 at 12:54 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
And another! Report as spam, and block!
Spammy follower promoting a T-shirt and reposting a bunch of wild-eyed crazy liberal (my kinda people!) posts.
January 8, 2026 at 8:22 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
I read MIB and wondered how anyone would remember?
Men in Black neuralyzer flashing to cause amnesia.
January 6, 2026 at 7:11 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Ewe are what ewe do.
Picture of Carl Jung with quotation, "You are what you do, not what you say you'll do."
January 1, 2026 at 4:54 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
The graffiti on the building says "The Donald J. Trump And" above the official "The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" in the wrong font, size, leading, and with poor line spacing. DJT's is smaller than JFK's, of course. Er, the font size. SAD!
Dozens of protesters in front of The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts protesting the ugly, and likely illegal, and certainly in poor taste, addition of "The Donald J. Trump And" text above. A protester in a pink inflatable frog costume (with AMPHIFA written across its middle) holds a sign "Trump is no JFK" Source: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/kennedy-center-changed-board-rules-100018870.html credited to Maxine Wallace/Washington Post
December 31, 2025 at 1:08 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Math doesn't care if you believe in it.
Nerdy teacher with flattop haircut, short tie and a pocket protector pointing to a chalkboard with graphs labeled "Exponential Functions." In the foreground two students look at each other, one saying "Like we'll ever use this crap." Original source unknown, cut-off signature "Marian" on the center right, likely Marian Kamensky, https://humor-kamensky.sk/about-me
December 30, 2025 at 2:07 AM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Be prepared:
Screenshot of Area Forecast Discussion, NWS Gray Me with news of mixed precipitation Sunday/Monday. Text: "Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Gray ME 130 PM EST Fri Dec 26 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Weak low pressure looks to pass mostly to our south tonight, but light snow is likely over southern New Hampshire tonight into Saturday morning. Next potential storm arrives for Sunday night and Monday and will likely be more of a mixed bag with all precipitation types possible during the event. Winds ramp up Tuesday in the wake of the system and below normal temperatures continue through the New Year's holiday window."
December 26, 2025 at 6:36 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
And another! Reported and blocked.
Another scam account with the exact same re-posts, no original posts, no bio and the same "25% off" T-short in the top of their postings. I'm suspicious.
December 26, 2025 at 4:17 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
And another!
Suspected spam/scam account screensot
December 26, 2025 at 4:11 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Happyholidays.gov could not be found.
A "sad face" icon and caption "This site cant be reached. happyholidays.gov server IP address could not be found."
December 13, 2025 at 1:08 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
I feel so sorry for any professions left in US OGE. From: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...
The United States Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is an independent agency within the executive branch of the U.S. federal government which is responsible for directing executive branch policies relating to the prevention of conflicts of interest on the part of Federal executive branch officers and employees. Under the Ethics in Government Act, this agency was originally part of the Office of Personnel Management from 1978 until it separated in 1989.
December 12, 2025 at 10:03 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Well, the office has had some memorable Speakers, but he's in the running.
Source: www.thenation.com/article/arch...
Excerpt from The Nation (link in the main post): "Among the fifty men and one woman who have held the speakership since a German-born pastor named Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg filled the position for the First Congress, there have been more than a few disappointments. Aside from the indicted, the disgraced and the disreputable, there have been the indefensible — like Howell Cobb, who used his pre-Civil War speakership to promote the extension of slavery. Cobb would eventually find his true calling as the speaker of the Provisional Confederate Congress and the acting president of the southern states that seceded from the U.S. in treasonous defense of human bondage.' "Could the shambling, ineffectual and frequently inarticulate Hastert really have been a worse Speaker of the House than a crude proponent of slavery, or a crook like Jim Wright or a conniving partisan like Newt Gingrich? Absolutely."
December 9, 2025 at 8:03 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Separate but co-equal branches, all in their own lanes, sure.
Editorial Cartoon with sign "Roosevelt's Supreme Court Packing Department" with Uncle Sam sitting on a bench reading a thick tome labeled "The Constitution" with an axe resting on the bench next to him. Source: https://supremecourthistory.org/schs-fdr-courtpacking-controversy/
November 16, 2025 at 5:03 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Yes, for the article, but no for the headline, curiously. And fonts are ... strange. On a Chromebook, so that might be part of the issue.
Boston Globe article headline with the top half of the top line cut off. It reads "A former Healey aide was a pillar of Springfield — until 18 pounds of cocaine arrived at his state office"
November 10, 2025 at 7:49 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
But the staffers are struggling!
Still from "Weekend at Bernie's" (1989) showing Larry Wilson (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard Parker (Jonathan Silverman) holding a deceased Bernie (Terry Kiser) upright. From https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098627/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_sm_3#amzn1.imdb.concept.name_credit_group.7caf7d16-5db9-4f4f-8864-d4c6e711c686
November 9, 2025 at 12:56 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
New York abstains, courteously. As always.
From the movie, "1776" (1972) , LEWIS MORRIS played by Howard Caine, says, "New York abstains, courteously." on every vote taken by the Continental Congress while drafting the Declaration of Independence.
November 4, 2025 at 7:25 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Morning coincidence to consider:
@leguinbot.bsky.social @merriam-webster.com
@leguinbot.bsky.social post quoting U.K. Leguin "He seemed not to know the uses of silence." and the next timeline post from @merriam-webster.com "You can curse daylight savings time, daylight savings, daylight savings, daylight savings time and/or daylight time. All are considered acceptable so go off."
November 2, 2025 at 12:12 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
If he thinks of it at all, it's the 1974 Redford (RIP) and Farrow version, and it's about a house and party, not about love and trust and betrayal and classism and racism.
A mansionn in the background and a white-suited and -shod Robert Redford as Gatsby in the 1974 movie of "The Great Gatsby" Screenshot from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071577/mediaviewer/rm1370348801/ Party scene from "The Great Gatsby" (1974) of a ballroom full of tuxedoed and gowned partiers. Screenshot from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071577/mediaviewer/rm1670695425/
November 1, 2025 at 2:41 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
In New Hampshire wilderness, even the rocks are Wilder. It's bewildering! Proper noun, verb, adjective?
Wilder Rock, a multi-hundred ton granite boulder, likely a glacial erratic, located off the Stevens Rail Trail in Contoocook, NH. A bicycle leans on the front, giving a sense of scale to the roundish rock, perhaps 20 feet high and 30 feet across, standing alone in a forest of tall pine trees. A signpost by the side of the Stevens Rail Trail points left to the trail to "Wilder Rock" and a nearby granite boulder shows a blue blaze leading down the trail. Contoocook, NH
November 1, 2025 at 12:05 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Subscribe if you can. @hcrichardson.bsky.social is a national treasure!
Paragraph extracted from the linked text, "Republican leaders blamed poor Americans for the Great Depression, saying they drained the economy because they refused to work hard enough. “Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate,” Treasury Secretary Mellon told Hoover. “It will purge the rottenness out of the system. High costs of living and high living will come down. People will work harder, live a more moral life. Values will be adjusted, and enterprising people will pick up the wrecks from less competent people.”
October 29, 2025 at 6:09 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
896 mb and 180 mph winds. Woah.

Source: www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh...?
From: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCUAT3+shtml/281259.shtml? 000 WTNT63 KNHC 281259 TCUAT3 Hurricane Melissa Tropical Cyclone Update NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL132025 900 AM EDT Tue Oct 28 2025 ...AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTERS FIND MELISSA STRONGER AS THE NORTHERN EYEWALL IS APPROACHING THE SOUTHERN COAST OF JAMAICA... ...900 AM EDT POSITION UPDATE... The eye of Melissa is nearing the southern coast of Jamaica and is expected to make landfall within the next few hours. This is an extremely dangerous and a life-threatening situation. Take action now to protect your life! Residents in the Jamaica should not leave their shelter as winds will rapidly increase within the eyewall of Melissa. Remain in place through the passage of these life- threatening conditions. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft has found that Melissa is strengthening with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h). Estimated minimum central pressure based on aircraft data has fallen to 896 mb (26.47 inches). Another position update will be provided at 1000 AM EDT (1400 UTC). SUMMARY OF 900 AM EDT...1300 UTC...INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------- LOCATION...17.6N 78.1W ABOUT 50 MI...80 KM SSE OF NEGRIL JAMAICA ABOUT 260 MI...420 KM SW OF GUANTANAMO CUBA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...180 MPH...290 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...NNE OR 20 DEGREES AT 7 MPH...11 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...896 MB...26.47 INCHES $$ Forecaster Kelly
October 28, 2025 at 1:07 PM
tedroche.contoocook.org
It's important to understand that there is no "Category 6" for hurricanes because 5 is considered complete devastation. Donate to support groups if you can.
www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphi...
Slide titled "Key Messages for Hurricane Melissa. Advisory 24: 5:00 AM EDT Mon Oct 27, 2025" from https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT13/refresh/AL132025_key_messages+png/271147_key_messages_sm.png. Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Eastern Cuba and Southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos are in the line of the expected storm track. Catastrophic rain and flooding, storm surge are expected.
October 27, 2025 at 11:56 AM
tedroche.contoocook.org
Big props to the Social Security Administration for letting the people they serve know that they are open, but limited in service, during the shutdown, and that self-serve on the website is an excellent option, if possible. Without violating the Hatch Act and making baseless political claims!
Capture of an email from the SSA, which reads: "Services are still available with your online my Social Security account. As Congress works to pass a new federal budget, the government is currently shut down. We know this raises questions. We have answers to the most commonly asked questions about how the shutdown impacts you. Will the Shutdown Affect Payments? No, it will not affect payments. If you receive benefits, payments will continue without interruption. You will receive your benefits on time, with no changes to payment dates. What Services Are Available Online? We are constantly expanding our online services to give you freedom and control when conducting business with Social Security. Today, you can use your personal my Social Security account to: Request a replacement Social Security or Medicare card Access benefit verification letters Apply for benefits Check your application or appeal status Access your Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) notice up to three weeks earlier than by mail (if you sign up for digital notices before November 20) Change your address Set up or change direct deposit Print your 1099 View your latest statement Review your earning history Are Local Offices Open? Offices are open, but not all in-person services are available. We encourage you to use your personal my Social Security account to easily access SSA services and benefits online. Log in to your existing account to access these services. For more information, please check out this helpful blog post or visit our website for shutdown information. Federal Government Shutdown Information"
October 22, 2025 at 11:51 AM
tedroche.contoocook.org
weather.gov web site:
Yellow banner across the top of the weather.gov site says "This site will remain updated during the shutdown" and a link labeled "Read More" Clicking the link opens up a box saying "The U.S. government is closed. However, because the information this website provides is necessary to protect life and property, this site will be updated and maintained during the federal government shutdown. To learn more, visit commerce.gov/news/blog." and a button labeled "Close Notice"
October 6, 2025 at 6:14 PM