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rationaldoge

@[email protected]

Retired public radio producer, newsroom and audio systems developer. UW-Madison Journalism '78. Opera fanatic. Train buff. Prairie enthusiast. Slowest cyclist in Minneapolis. KFØNOK.

Avatar: a drawing from the patent for "The Game of Cootie," a dice game invented in Minnesota.

Header: mural "The Deathtrap of the Ages," by Charles R. Knight, depicting La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. Its use here inspired by Frederick P. Brooks Jr., "The Mythical Man-Month."

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@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

“He was really interested in the movement of the water, the energy, the changing surface reflections. You really see that in both his sculptures, where he transformed solid wood into this fluid — sometimes turbulent, sometimes placid — water, as well as in his pastel and charcoal drawings”

Ho-Chunk sculptor Truman Lowe honored in Smithsonian retrospective
By Richelle Wilson
https://www.wpr.org/news/ho-chunk-sculptor-truman-lowe-honored-smithsonian

@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

Council President Elliott Payne said there’s nothing more urgent than what’s happening in Minneapolis now.

“This is going to impact our city for years to come,” he said. “This is about the future of democracy. Our bond rating will be irrelevant if we are in outright civil war.“

Minneapolis City Council votes to spend $1 million to help people pay rent amid immigration surge
By Deena Winter
The Minnesota Star Tribune
https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-council-allocates-1-million-to-help-people-pay-rent/601576913?utm_source=gift

The Minneapolis skyline, including City Hall seen from the back of the federal courthouse, in downtown Minneapolis. (Glen Stubbe/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

We just watched a couple of cute Minnesotans beat Switzerland in curling.

Cory and Korey for the win.

Compared to when we were kids, TV transmissions from distant points sure are brilliantly clear these days.

As La Velle E. Neal III pointed out earlier this week in the Strib,

So far, so good.

"Thiesse is from Duluth. Both her parents curled, and her mother is a two-time senior national champion. Dropkin was born in Massachusetts to a curling family, began curling at age 5 and later realized that if he was going to achieve everything he wanted he had to move to the capital of curling."
https://www.startribune.com/olympic-mixed-curling-team-is-a-match-made-in-heaven-well-actually-duluth/601571272?utm_source=gift

Brooms 'n' stones on the ice. Cory Thiesse has a chance for two Olympic medals at the 2026 Games. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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rationaldoge OP ,
@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

(For the record, Thiesse is married and Dropkin is engaged.)
—from the article

rationaldoge OP ,
@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

Try curling!

Behind the scenes with three Minnesota curling insiders
By Jennifer Pitterle
https://www.minnesotamonthly.com/general/swept-up-building-an-olympic-curling-team/

@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

At gunpoint.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Immigration officers with guns drawn arrested activists who were trailing their vehicles on Tuesday in Minneapolis, while education leaders described anxiety and fear in Minnesota schools from the ongoing federal sweeps. …

Several cars followed officers through south Minneapolis after there were reports of them knocking at homes. Officers stopped their vehicles and ordered activists to come out of a car at gunpoint. Agents told reporters at the scene to stay back and threatened to use pepper spray.
https://apnews.com/article/minneapolis-immigration-crackdown-arrests-29ab636ca0f7db5389418463ca8b67c7

@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

Jennifer Brooks: "An avalanche of outerwear poured in."

“A couple of weeks ago, I was at Whipple, seeing if there was anything I could do,” said Rachel Gerdes, whose Instagram account now directs her 40,000 followers to Haven Watch and other mutual aid groups who are raising funds and supplies for people who are too afraid to leave their homes to shop, work or go to school.

Suddenly, she said, “They released someone in front of the Whipple Building in no winter clothes. It was freezing cold. She was just out in the cold.”

Gerdes approached the shivering woman and asked if she needed help. The woman said she had no way to get home. The light-rail station is half a mile from Whipple. A long way to walk without a coat in January.

Volunteers step up for ICE detainees who need winter coats
By Jennifer Brooks
The Minnesota Star Tribune
https://www.startribune.com/stepping-up-for-ice-detainees-who-need-winter-coats/601571358?utm_source=gift

Smiling volunteers pose at the open doors of an elevator filled with bags of donated winter clothing. Caption: Donated coats warm the heart (and the rest of the body), but mutual aid groups say monetary donations are even more useful right now. You don't need a warehouse to store a cash donation. Photo courtesy of Sade Young.
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@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

"If the ICE vehicles pull over, people flood the street. Crowds materialize seemingly out of nowhere. The honking and whistling amps up, becoming an unignorable wail, and more people stream out of their houses and businesses. When agents leave their cars they’re met with jeers, mostly variations on “Fuck you.” Usually someone starts throwing snowballs. Agents pull out pepper spray guns, threatening protesters who get too close. If there’s enough of a crowd, they use tear gas. Meanwhile they go about their barbaric business: they’ve pulled someone out of their car or home and are shoving them into a vehicle, handcuffed. Over the noise, an observer tries to ask the person being detained for their name and who they want contacted. Sometimes a detainee’s phone, keys, or a bag make it into an observer’s hands. Everyone is filming. The press is taking photos.

"Soon the agents are back in their vehicles. They pull risky maneuvers to move through the crowd and speed off. No more than six or seven minutes have elapsed, and another neighbor has been kidnapped. Observers are left to deal with the wreckage: tow an abandoned car, contact family, sometimes collect children. There are lawyers on call, local tow companies offering free services, mutual aid groups to support families after an abduction. Some observers stay behind to do this kind of coordination, and some get back in their cars or on their bikes and speed off again. If enough people get there fast enough, ICE might back off next time. At a minimum, their cruelty can’t go unchallenged."

ICE vs. Everyone
By Erin West
https://www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/ice-vs-everyone/

@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

Occupied Minnesota.

Data viz on the front page of Thursday's Minnesota Star Tribune.

Two large circles composed of dots representing personnel: comparing DHS numbers in Minnesota to those of the largest police forces in the state. Department of Homeland Security forces reportedly in Minnesota: 3000. Ten largest Twin Cities police forces: 2482. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey calls the reported 3,000 ICE and CPB agents "wildly disproportionate" to the situation.
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@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz: "News reports simply do not do justice to the level of chaos and disruption and trauma the federal government is raining down upon our communities. …

"This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government."

Governor Walz Addresses Ongoing Federal Presence in Minnesota
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGTsYXBWQgU

rationaldoge OP ,
@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

Further Walz: "You are not powerless, you are not helpless, and you certainly are not alone.

"All across Minnesota people are learning about opportunities not just to resist but to help people who are in danger. Thousands upon thousands of
our fellow Minnesotans are going to be relying on mutual aid in the days and weeks to come, and they need our support."

rationaldoge OP ,
@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

More Walz: "Tonight I want to share another way you can help.

"Witness. Help us establish a record of exactly what is happening in our communities. You have an absolute right to peacefully film ICE agents as they conduct these activities.

"So carry your phone with you at all times. And if you see these ICE agents in your neighborhood, take out that phone and hit record.

"Help us create a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans. Not just to establish a record for posterity, but to bank evidence for future prosecution."

@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

Amanda Marcotte: "The videos pouring out of Minnesota onto social media right now are horrific, showing both ICE and Border Patrol agents acting like the Gestapo by assaulting peaceful people with impunity and suggesting that they will kill more people if residents don’t submit.

"But time and again, those videos also show reason for hope: Ordinary people are refusing to comply. They film Noem’s secret police, blowing whistles and making a fuss, even as those masked cowards attack them. They calmly reply, camera in hand, “Go to church,” as ICE officers bellow violent threats at them. Crowds gather and run ICE agents off — just by being peaceful but annoying. In one incident, a woman at home with her baby gives sanctuary to her DoorDash driver, yelling at officers outside that she will not open the door until they return with a warrant."
https://www.salon.com/2026/01/14/resistance-moms-will-save-us/

@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

Holy mackerel. Joe Thompson quit.

"Three Minnesota federal prosecutors resigned over the Justice Department’s push to investigate the widow of a woman killed by an ICE agent and its reluctance to investigate the shooter, according to people with knowledge of their decision.

"Joseph H. Thompson, who was second in command at the U.S. attorney’s office and oversaw a sprawling fraud investigation that has roiled Minnesota’s political landscape, was among those who quit Tuesday, according to three people with knowledge of the decision."
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/us/prosecutors-ice-shooting-renee-good.html

@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

Sunday afternoon email from the City of Minneapolis:

"Know your rights if ICE comes to your home

"Everyone has constitutional protections — regardless of immigration status.

"Before opening your door to ICE, know your rights, as recommended by the Immigrant Law Center. Remember to assert them calmly and safely."

Poster available in five languages: Know Your Rights The immigrant Law Center suggests the following if federal immigration agents come to your home. Remember • ICE needs a judge-signed warrant with your name and address to enter. • You can ask them to show you the warrant through a window or under the door. • If there is no valid warrant, you have the right to keep your door closed.
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@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

Just received a nicely prepared email from the City of Minneapolis— "Recognize Minneapolis Employee Uniforms."

"With multiple federal agencies in town, you should be familiar with the uniforms worn by City of Minneapolis employees. Here’s what they look like – from police to animal control.

"Nobody in a City uniform will ever ask for your immigration status or participate with any federal immigration enforcement activity. Our officers do not wear masks to hide their identity.

"We work for and with our community, not against them."
—from the email

First and foremost: Animal Care and Control!

With multiple federal agencies in town, you should be familiar with the unforms worn by City of Minneapolis employees. Here’s what they look like – from police to animal control. Nobody in a City uniform will ever ask for your immigration status or participate with any federal immigration enforcement activity. Our officers do not wear masks to hide their identity. We work for and with our community, not against them. More information about the Minneapolis separation ordinance and additional resources are available on the City website.
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@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

Depending on how you like your winter, it looks to be another sub-par week in the Twin Cities, the City of Lakes, the Mill City, Lesser Minnesota, the garden spot of Hinterlandia.

Rain, freezing rain, sleet, fog, rain. Might we see graupel? Highs above freezing as far as the eye can see.

The only bright spot, and it's a significant one: lower heating bills. Every week goes by we're one week closer to tornado season.

Put on those wellies and urban crampons. Grab a walking stick like a Victorian-age denizen or an early mountaineer. Make the best of it!

Can't be helped. Least of our worries.

Here's Pepper in his favorite spot on the futon. Nothing gets him down.

Pepper, the black, tan, and white Australian kelpie we borrow from friends, snoozes in his favorite spot on the futon on Friday, January 2, 2026. He has his own pillow.
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@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

Pepper and I found a Bosch dishwasher on the curb and we thought, why, that might only need a filter cleaning or a $40 replacement pump.

We'd never know until we plugged it in and poked around with a multimeter.

The secret fault codes can sometimes be found listed on a piece of paper tucked inside the machine.

As difficult as modern appliances can be, they are often susceptible to repair by finding and replacing the appropriate module.

In the Keewaydin neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Pepper, the black, tan, and white Australian kelpie we borrow from friends, examines a snow-covered Bosch dishwasher on the curb while on a walk in his new neighborhood of south Minneapolis Monday morning, Dec. 8, 2025. The dog is wearing a bright orange jacket to help protect him from the cold.
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@kb9ens@mastodon.radio avatar kb9ens , to random

4 General upgrades and 3 new Technicians. Not bad for an after Thanksgiving session. .

A plastic sign that says amateur radio test last Saturday of month from 10:00 through 12:00
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rationaldoge ,
@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

@kb9ens We had a candidate the other day who passed his General and Amateur Extra exams.

I think he got just four wrong out of 85 questions, missing a perfect score on his Extra by only one.

Trouble was, he was still awaiting his callsign because he'd taken the Technician's exam the previous month, during the government "shutdown" when the FCC database was off line.

I'm as happy as the candidates are when they succeed.

@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

CIDRAP Minnesota: For nearly 80 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was respected around the world for its authoritative, evidence-based leadership in public health.

But the CDC’s stunning reversal Wednesday—stating on its website that “studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism”—shows the agency can no longer be trusted, multiple doctors and public health advocates told CIDRAP News.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-vaccines/after-unprecedented-autism-vaccine-messaging-change-scientists-advocates-say-cdc

@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

I read in the paper this morning about kids entering college without having rudimentary math knowledge.

All I could think of was how happy I would have been if Math Queen Susanne had been around when I was in school.

I've watched countless of her videos, from the simplest to the most complex.

In English or German, I've never seen anyone who could explain things so patiently, nicely, and thoroughly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioPsLYXsLgI

rationaldoge OP ,
@rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

"UC San Diego says it's struggling to deal with a large and growing number of freshmen whose math skills are below middle-school level, leaving many unprepared to thrive at an institution famed for its teaching and research in science, medicine and engineering. …

"The report — which offers possible fixes — says many students are struggling even though they completed the math classes they needed to qualify for admission to the University of California. Many also were found to have trouble with language and writing."
—clipping from the Minnesota Star Tribune facsimile edition

From the facimile edition of the Strib: "UC San Diego says it's struggling to deal with a large and growing number of freshmen whose math skills are below middle-school level, leaving many unprepared to thrive at an institution famed for its teaching and research in science, medicine and engineering. … "The report — which offers possible fixes — says many students are struggling even though they completed the math classes they needed to qualify for admission to the University of California. Many also were found to have trouble with language and writing."
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    • + ScienceDesk
    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

    "We are at a moment with consumer-facing AI tools that will influence our lives for decades to come. We are being sold on the idea that technology is progress, progress is good, AI technology is particularly good, and that its widespread adoption is inevitable.

    "However, its proponents don’t seem to trust their own hype. If the tech was that great, we would all be keen to adopt it. Give users the choice, and let us sign on. But no. Over and over and over again, we are being nudged, pushed, shoehorned, and forced to have to deal with these tools."
    https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/morning-file/from-cars-to-ai-the-spread-of-technologies-is-not-inevitable/

    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

    "For years, you watched and listened to our coverage of the Chicago area. As journalists, we did our best to bring you accurate, objective information about the people, events and issues that mattered. We hope we gained your trust.

    "So please trust us now when we say that what is happening in the Chicago area is wrong. The fact that some federal immigration forces may be leaving soon is cold comfort given the damage they’ve done and what they may do in other cities."

    Letter from Chicago broadcast veterans: Federal immigration agents have traumatized us and eroded our rights
    https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/13/letter-chicago-immigrants-broadcast-journalists/

    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

    "The world record for biggest bagpipe ensemble was broken in Melbourne on Wednesday, with 374 pipers playing in unison.

    "The ensemble played AC/DC's It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll) to a crowd of thousands."
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-12/world-bagpipe-record-melbourne/106002186

    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

    Deadly trumpeter swans in the news.

    “The increase of trumpeter swans throughout much of Minnesota is obvious,” said DNR wetland wildlife group leader Bruce Davis, stationed in Bemidji. “There’s still more expansion going on as they continue to move south and west in the state. I don’t know if their density in the prairie areas will match what it is in the central and northern parts of Minnesota. Whether it does or doesn’t, there are a lot of swans.”
    Gift link: https://www.startribune.com/anderson-growing-trumpeter-swan-numbers-might-be-too-much-of-a-good-thing/601502370?utm_source=gift

    rationaldoge OP ,
    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

    Irony: trumpeters threatening ducks and geese before they can be shot.

    Our loon line contributions at work!

    Weighing as much as 30 pounds as adults, with wingspans that can exceed 10 feet, Minnesota’s trumpeter swans were killed for food by early settlers. By the 1880s, few, if any, were left in the state. “I put together a proposal to bring 50 trumpeter eggs back from Alaska in three successive years and hatch them here,” Henderson said. “We had the money to do it from the chickadee checkoff on state taxpayer forms. Northwest Airlines provided free transportation from Alaska. To keep them warm, we carried the eggs in overhead compartments in first class.” Hatched at Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area not far north of the Twin Cities, the young swans — cygnets — were released at just under 2 years of age in the Detroit Lakes, Minn., area. Image caption: Carrol Henderson started with just a few trumpeter swan eggs collected in Alaska in the early 80s and now has a thriving population. (Tom Wallace/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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    • + Binder
    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

    'One anonymous employee said that Fox should “change the misogynist, racist, rightwing content,” adding, “Fox News is a propaganda machine for the Republican party NOT a news organization and should be acknowledged as such. It is embarrassing to tell people that I work here as even conservatives know [Fox News Channel] and [Fox Business Network] are biased information sources – not news.” While the employee called the work environment “great,” they said “the content is hateful and has made the world a more divided and angry place”.'
    https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/oct/17/fox-news-employee-survey-trump-lawsuit

    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

    A Stillwater mom’s Halloween-themed horse posts aren’t just for laughs. They support a mission to help kids experience the magic of horses, free of charge.
    By Laura Yuen
    The Minnesota Star Tribune
    https://www.startribune.com/yuen-stillwater-mom-helps-kids-experience-magic-of-horses/601491338?utm_source=gift

    Every day in October, Sieben — who describes herself as a “reluctant” social media influencer — dresses one of her horses in costume for Instagram pictures that soften hearts and compel “likes” from her thousands of followers. Those interactions boost the visibility of Sieben’s mission and help steer donations toward her organization. A little girl in a black dress and white collar poses with a white horse in a field littered with autumn leaves. A fake hand rests on the horse's back. Syver the horse cooperates under the watchful grip of Thing for a portrait with Ada Sieben, dressed as Wednesday Addams. (Krystal Sieben/Provided) Her mission is simple. If you’re a kid who wants to meet a horse, this former teacher from Stillwater can make that happen.
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    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

    "RED LAKE, MINN. – Simone Senogles, an Anishinaabe woman whose legacy of feminism and environmentalism spanned decades in northern Minnesota, died Sept. 20 at her home in Bemidji. She was 54. …

    "Senogles worked 25 years for the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), a national nonprofit headquartered in Bemidji, and co-founded MMIW 218, a grassroots group in Bemidji focused on missing and murdered Indigenous women. MMIW 218 leaders and mothers who are still searching for their missing children, such as Teddi Wind and Theresa Jourdain, paid their respects Friday."

    Simone Senogles, Indigenous feminist and environmental advocate, dies at 54
    By Kim Hyatt
    The Minnesota Star Tribune

    Gift link: https://www.startribune.com/simone-senogles-indigenous-feminist-and-environmental-advocate-dies-at-54/601480708?utm_source=gift

    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

    'Others wrote to us to say they can't ever see themselves ever going back to buying U.S. goods or travelling to the country again.

    '"I may never shop again without making sure it's a Canadian product," Garry Semple told CBC News.

    '"I get angrier the more this goes on."

    'Rita Bailey told us something similar.

    '"I am 75 and I can't see this changing for the duration of my life. I won't back down and I pray that our leaders won't either," she said.'
    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/we-asked-canadians-us-boycott-1.7597475

    @GetCarter@mastodonapp.uk avatar GetCarter , to random

    Bertie always looks grubby when next to fresh snow! (Not that he cares - he reverts to a puppy as soon as a snowball is picked up)

    Labradoodle sitting in fresh snow.
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    rationaldoge ,
    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

    @GetCarter Lovely photo. How'd he get to that spot without leaving footprints?

    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

    Soldering is easy.
    Here's how to do it.

    Download this comic book and share it with your friends!
    https://mightyohm.com/files/soldercomic/FullSolderComic_EN.pdf

    One panel from the comic Soldering Is Easy: SOLDERING is a really useful skill. It is also WAY EASY! Really, it is! You'll see. Soldering is also LOTS OF FUN! If you know how to solder, you can make just about anything with electronics, which is just too cool! There are many ways to make good solder connections. I'm going to explain how to do it. LET'S GET STARTED!
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    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    GSA has auctioned the VOA music library en masse — 83,569 vinyl record albums, 34,500 45’s and 77,749 CD’s. Accompanying the vinyl are 10 card catalog cabinets containing information about much of the older non-computerized records, as well 1,053 musical reference books and magazines. Winning bid: $135,550. Now the new owner has to decide how to remove the collection from VOA and what to do with it. https://youtu.be/PnR9Bsm8aA8

    rationaldoge ,
    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

    @w7voa This is an amazing story. Thanks for drawing our attention to it.

    vkc , to random

    [Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

    •
    rationaldoge ,
    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

    @vkc Sorry to read this; just so you know, I did notice that I hadn't seen your affirmation post and I wondered about that. I have enjoyed your presentations. Know that your work has helped me. Best wishes from another Minneapolitan.

    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar rationaldoge , to random

    Badger badger badger.

    'Referring to the last 14 years of Tory rule, the 47-year-old quipped: “If a wild badger broke into your home and fed everything up for 14 years straight, tearing absolutely everything apart, you would think, ‘OK, you know what, we’ll worry about redecorating choices later. Right now, that badger needs to fing go.’”'

    John Oliver’s ‘hilarious’ general election tirade will stream in the UK despite censorship fears
    https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/john-oliver-sky-broadcast-general-election-b2568521.html

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    Kenya's first lady tries hushing fake fertilizer scandal by claiming prayers are best fertilizers. https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-kenyan-first-lady-tries-hushing-fake-fertilizer-scandal-by-claiming-prayers-are-best-fertilizers-/7586237.html

    rationaldoge ,
    @rationaldoge@hachyderm.io avatar

    @w7voa An area church has posted a message on its signboard claiming that prayer was the first wireless connection so I suppose anything is possible.