@benroyce@mastodon.social cover
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

benroyce

@[email protected]

the tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction

I live near #RochesterNY #Rochester #NewYork #NY
#FingerLakes #WesternNY #Ganondagan

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@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

If you watched in the 90s in the you know Carlton Banks from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" played by (and his hilariously cringe Carlton dance)

And you know Dawson Leery from "Dawson's Creek" played by (also in "Varsity Blues")

Ribeiro and Van Der Beek were lifelong friends

Alfonso said goodbye to his old friend last week

James died this week of

Get your

Fuck

https://www.instagram.com/therealalfonsoribeiro

Ribeiro embraces an ill Van Der Beek

Ribeiro embraces an ill Van Der Beek
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@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random
benroyce OP ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

aka Yevhenia Besfamilnaya. Meaning nameless. So named by the orphanage where she was raised: she had survived the alone

She spoke only Yiddish and Russian. She was cranky and asocial. Neighbors looked out for her

Murdered by

A shattered life bookended by horrors

A neighbor remembered the last time he saw her:

"The look on her face was special in some way. Like she was saying: ‘OK, that’s it. You can stay here, but I’m going’"

https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/01/27/cold-case-en

@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

Things Get Fixed

by Chinua Achebe


book cover of "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe
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@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

The rot comes from the very top and attracts the very worst.

Screenshot of an X post from Minnesota House DFL stating that Bloomington, Minnesota police announced one of the men arrested in an underage sex trafficking sting was a background checker for ICE agents with a high-level security clearance during the Trump administration. Below the text is a video still of a uniformed police officer speaking at a podium in a council chamber, with a printed photo displayed in front of him. On-screen captions read, “Homeland Security, and federal agencies.”
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benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@georgetakei

all of this sexual abuse from MAGA and no trans people involved

meanwhile, their lying bigotry and hate about trans people and sexual abuse

@TheBreadmonkey@beige.party avatar TheBreadmonkey , to random

Just placed an avocado in another woman's trolley thinking she was my wife. Not a euphemism.

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@TheBreadmonkey

I understand your toot

You're saying you did not place a euphenism in another woman's trolley

Wait

You mean you thought another woman was your wife and that she was not a euphenism

What are you trying to say?

(/s)

@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

Amplifying some drama I was just in to broadcast a point

is the topic

My point:

  1. If someone doesn't use alt text, we help them, we cheerfully engage them

In some instances they are an asshole who still won't use alt text

If not, we won a convert

  1. Meanwhile, nastiness certainly won't convince the asshole

And nastiness will drive away those who would have responded positively if only we were nice about it

Drama, drama, drama... always drama on the and

an image of html the html is <img src="pizza.png" alt="slice of pizza on a plate"> the alt attribute is highlighted with a bracket to indicate "alt text"
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@CStamp@mastodon.social avatar CStamp , to random

While the American male skater is getting attention for performing the 1st legal backflip landing on one skate, let's acknowledge the 1st person to have done this: a Black French girl, Surya Bonaly. She, however, lost points for doing it.

"Regarding the criticism she received during her career, Bonaly said she was “born too early,” ...

“I broke ice for other skaters,”...“Now everything is different. People welcome anyone as long as they are good & that is what life is about.”

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@CStamp

's story at the 1998 is a marvel

She committed an error and was out of medal contention. So she went "fuck it, if the judges don't appreciate me for my athletic gifts, I am going to win on my own terms" and was the first Olympic woman to do a in on one blade

And sure enough, we talk about that today more than anything else from then

"Fuck the haters, I'll win on my terms, I'm going to live my life"

Be like Surya

a vertical video describing the story of surya bonaly at the 1998 olympics consisting of many shots of that competition and previous competitions where the backflip was performed credit: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zdCOa7JAmvc

@Gargron@mastodon.social avatar Gargron , to random

I got my first roll of film developed. But, since I filmed near where I live, I cannot share the footage online. Still, it's so cool! Focusing on the Yashica Super-600 is not easy though, especially with a moving subject.

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@Gargron

👏 👏 👏

hello from

once the king of film: the home of

and now... yeah

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@Gargron

yes but it's a much smaller kingdom now 😅

@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

' says and have "declared war" on '

This is a good sign

He's scared

The is in April and his party, , is polling well behind

But:

Like , a "make believe it's wartime and limit voting" plan is brewing

I don't think trying to limit voting on a dumb lie is going to work for Trump and Orban

All hell would to break loose

(And if all hell doesn't break loose, we're fucking doomed)

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/02/11/8020446/

@alice@lgbtqia.space avatar alice , to random

Ugh 😩 I met my new doctor today, had my yearly exam, and got three vaccines. Now I feel like shit from the jabs, and lemme tell you...

I'd get them again in a fucking heartbeat, because science and social responsibility fucking rock 🤘

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@alice

i think "the day after a vaccine sucks" is a big motivator of the antivax movement

no one likes that day

but for a certain sort of painfully ignorant type of person, that is all vaccines mean

the whole "protect you from diseases that will REALLY make you miserable or deathly ill, for a week, a month, or years, possibly maim you, permanently, or possibly kill you" part...

you know, the fucking obvious

it doesn't matter to people who can't or won't think about really simple things

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@CppGuy @alice

nobody does

but we grimace, get the shot, and carry on

children are excused a more dramatic reaction. and some adults have valid phobias or trauma about needles (and they steel themselves and put aside their fears, because they can think. emotion is not a problem, lack of thinking is)

but, there exists supposedly grown adults who "function" on this "Mummy, Mummy, I don't like needles! 😭" immaturity. and it informs their entire political attitude towards vaccines

morons

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@lispi314 @alice

excellent point

short term (a day off) thinking over long term (a sick workforce) thinking

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@renata @CppGuy @alice

makes me think of this:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7120417/

of course this idea fires up the whole genetic engineering debate

but i wonder: if people could just eat foods, and get vaccinated thataways, if antivax hysteria might disappear

(or maybe make it worse, from the conspiracy theory wing, even though this quells the needle hesitancy wing)

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@CppGuy @renata @alice

yup

also nasal sprays

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@BashStKid @alice @lispi314

please be an annoying european

you're "annoying" to only a certain sort of american asshole, and if you aggrevate them, that's a plus in my book

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@sezduck @BashStKid @alice @lispi314

gotta own the libs by impoverishing yourself for a billionaire and damaging your health

(/s)

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@jt_rebelo @alice @sezduck @BashStKid @lispi314

if 25-35% of the world population is just this sort of moron who values making others suffer over advancing their own life, i think i can accept that this is just some unfortunate aspect of human existence, as long as we can figure out a way they never get power

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@mattdm @lispi314 @jt_rebelo @alice @BashStKid @sezduck

if you can make a tool, Fox News lets say, and ramp up fear, hysteria, hate, etc, you can amplify the amygdala response and dampen the prefrontal cortex's ability to grasp what is going on, in people suitably predisposed to be susceptible to this

once suitably captured and then controlled emotionally in this way, you can lead, cajole, and program them like a robot. to vote, act, think, etc as you wish

the plutocrat-bigot political axis

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@mattdm @lispi314 @jt_rebelo @alice @BashStKid @sezduck

if you can make a tool, Fox News lets say, and ramp up fear, hysteria, hate, etc, you can amplify the amygdala response and dampen the prefrontal cortex's ability to grasp what is going on, in people suitably predisposed to be susceptible to this

once suitably captured and then controlled emotionally in this way, you can lead, cajole, and program them like a robot. to vote, act, think, etc as you wish

the plutocrat-bigot political axis

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@JessTheUnstill @CppGuy @renata @alice

there is also the psychological aspect of "owning" the vaccination

for some "this doctor who i barely know is sticking a needle in my precious baby's arm" is a psychological barrier

but if people are purchasing or are given vaccine nasal sprays, and giving it to their children at home, they are "owning" the vaccination process, which gets over this psychological barrier, establishing a sense of agency

benroyce ,
@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

@JessTheUnstill @CppGuy @renata @alice

i didn't think of that: some parents will just lie, good point

@benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

You might have wondered how they quickly turned the into a sugarcane field for 's

You might have thought about the logistics, that a lot of people must have been on hand to move the "bushes" of sugarcane grass on and off the field

Kind of

The people were the grass

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/super-bowl-bushes-people-rcna258256

it's sugarcane grass. but... there's faces and hands here and there
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@TheBreadmonkey@beige.party avatar TheBreadmonkey , to random

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

    •
    benroyce ,
    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

    @TheBreadmonkey

    damn

    👏 👏 👏

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

    CoinDesk headline: Odds of Jesus Christ appearing in 2026 double, beating return on bitcoin The Polymarket bet is a reminder that the weirdest corners of crypto are sometimes the only ones going up. By Shaurya Malwa Edited by Sheldon Reback
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    benroyce ,
    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar
    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    It's !!!

    https://youtu.be/3G1PFLuTrgM

    an owl luxuriates in being petted https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/lovely-owl-cute-video
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    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    the crowd is chanting "" at this match

    some context:

    the heavily tatted guy is

    he partnered with book to release merchandise for the Rights Action Committee. so far they have raised $59,000, supporting and communities

    oh, and he won the match

    King thanked his fans online and finished the post by saying “Fuck ”

    https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/wrestling/wrestling-fans-launch-anti-ice-chant-aew-match-las-vegas-pausing-event-rcna257579

    two wrestlers face off before a match while the crowd chants "Fuck ICE"

    benroyce OP ,
    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar
    BRODY KING HEADLOCKED COMICS DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON EDGEMEN PRINTING THANK YOU! Thanks for donating $31,500.00 USD to Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee - Education Fund Thanks for donating $27,404.09 USD to Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee - Education Fund TOGETHER WE WERE ABLE TO RAISE $58,904.09
    ALT
  • Reply
    • + Binder
    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    did anyone want to hear a speech castigating nativist cruelty against ?

    of course such a speech exists: bigoted malice against is not new. the wicked have long yoked the ignorant and indecent for power

    it refers to a real event: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_May_Day

    it is called "The Strangers' Case" speech

    from the play "Sir Thomas More"

    here delivered by from memory

    (, , etc)

    on "The Late Show With "

    Ian McKellen sitting next to Stephen Colbert, then standing up and approaching the audience to deliver some stirring Shakespeare

    @randahl@mastodon.social avatar randahl , (edited ) to random

    Today's nerd info:

    Denmark is known for its national flag, the Dannebrog. 🇩🇰

    But the largest peninsula of Denmark, Jutland, actually has its own flag called Den Jydske Fane. It was created in 1975 by artist Per Kramer, and can legally be flown in Denmark as a symbol for the region.

    It has a green area in the middle with blue around it, symbolizing the green forests of the peninsula with sea on both sides. On top is a red brown cross symbolizing the heathlands of central Jutland.

    Jutland, where the flag is used — although it is rare, as must people prefer the Dannebrog.
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    benroyce ,
    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

    @randahl

    i like how the nordic flags are basically a competition of:

    who can choose the best color scheme

    my favorite is Åland

    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    " prosecutors raid #X offices as part of investigation into images and "

    GOOD

    https://apnews.com/article/france-x-investigation-seach-elon-musk-1116be84d84201011219086ecfd4e0bc

    "In a message posted on X, the Paris prosecutors’ office announced the ongoing searches at the company’s offices in France and said it was leaving the platform while calling on followers to join it on other "

    Yeah that's nice but WHAT KIND OF MORONS ARE STILL ON

    Anyone. Anywhere

    Leave

    Yesterday

    World News Paris prosecutors raid X offices as part of investigation into child abuse images and deepfakes The opening page of X is displayed on a computer and phone, Oct. 16, 2023, in Sydney. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File) The opening page of X is displayed on a computer and phone, Oct. 16, 2023, in Sydney. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
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    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    i need to rant

    if the balance of your focus is spent attacking an aspect of the left for inadequacy, you're not really on the left

    your motive is psychological, not ideological

    the real ideological need is to attack MAGA, the right, conservatives, bigots, plutocrats

    some of this phenomenon is people who think they're helping but can't see the forest for the trees

    others are edgelords or agendas cosplaying left and sowing division because it's easy

    that it's easy is a huge fucking problem

    statues of ancient greek navel gazers omphaloskepsis contemplating one's navel as an aid in meditation "navel gazing" today means self-absorbed purists a derogatory term for excessive, self-indulgent introspection, over-analyzing one's own internal problems without taking action against external problems, even extremely dire ones, because one is petrified into analysis paralysis out of some absurd quest for impossible perfection and idealization a huge problem with the contemporary left
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    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    If you have to work, you have to work

    If you have a big test, take the test

    You don't have to go shopping though

    Look, you don't have to be perfect about it. Do as you can

    ICE OUT! NATIONWIDE SHUTDOWN! NO WORK. NO SCHOOL. NO SHOPPING. JAN 30, 2026 SIGN ON TO JOIN US: NationalShutdown.us
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    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    Huge turnout against and , / in yesterday

    International observers and even some domestic observers:

    You may ask why Americans aren't doing more

    And I agree

    But much is being done that you don't see because a lot going on is purposefully deemphasized in the

    Btw, this was in -10 F (-20 C) weather

    Huge crowds in an urban plaza
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    benroyce OP ,
    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar

    Some video from yesterday

    I don't know how many people. I've seen 50k, 100k, 150k chatted about on social media

    Of course the media is only saying "thousands"

    Again this is -10 F/ -20 C

    View of large crowds in a city from a balcony

    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    , CEO of :

    "Palantir is here to disrupt and make these various institutions we partner with the very best in the world, and when it's necessary, to scare our enemies, and on occasion, kill them"

    Our reality has become a bad movie plot

    And why do these always look like they're on drugs?

    just gleefully talking murder. And it's presented cheerful and mundane. What a we live in

    Alex Karp sitting at a conference table with 4 prop people and gesticulating wildly

    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    Over the weekend, 17,000 people canceled their tickets

    is holding an emergency meeting

    Maybe they will give Agent Orange another pretty trophy? Maybe bigger, more gold... really sparkly? Will that fix the problem? (/s)

    As an American: don't come here

    Don't do business with the

    Until we clean this shit up. Mainly: we and get some real left candidates

    https://www.ticketnews.com/2026/01/nearly-17000-fans-cancel-2026-world-cup-tickets-amid-boycott/

    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    Yup

    (graffiti somewhere in Seattle)

    graffiti depicting an ICE agent and a little girl with a balloon and the balloon is captioned "GRAVY SEALS GO HOME"
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    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    10 years ago today, died

    This is from a photoshoot the month before, in December 2015, a promo for his musical "Lazarus"

    He was 69 years old

    David Bowie grinning and posing in a dapper suit and hat Credit: Jimmy King https://www.jimmykingcreative.com/
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    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    A recent scene in

    Who has the as and Iran as burgeoning on their 2026 bingo card?

    (PS: that flag is the Lion and Sun Flag, the pre-1979 flag of Iran: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_and_Sun_flag )

    EDIT:

    because of angry trolls, i have to clarify

    this is not the flag of the Shah

    this flag also flew for Mohammad Mosaddegh, whom the CIA overthrew to install the Shah. read the Wikipedia link I posted

    the flag is pre-Ayatollah, anti-Ayatollah

    not pro-Shah

    Crowds at night with a bonfire waving Lion and Sun Flags
    ALT
    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    The latest round of in is large, significant and sharp. We shall hope and see if the people of Iran have success this time

    Here's a little wrinkle and it is amazing

    have been lighting pictures of the on fire, and lighting cigarettes with it

    Burning photos of the supreme leader is a serious offense

    Women smoking is restricted

    Not a single (mandatory) to be seen

    https://metro.co.uk/2026/01/09/iranian-women-light-cigarettes-burning-photo-supreme-leader-26174696/

    a woman lighting a cigarette with a burning phot of the Ayatollah
    a woman lighting a cigarette with a burning phot of the Ayatollah
    a woman lighting a cigarette with a burning phot of the Ayatollah

    a woman lighting a cigarette with a burning phot of the Ayatollah
    ALT
    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    "Can I go check a pulse?"

    "No" {and to back up}

    "I'm a physician"

    "I don't care"

    {another says that EMS is on the way and that they have their own medics on scene}

    "Where are they?" a woman yells

    {she is told to relax}

    "How can I relax when you just killed my f—ing neighbor?"

    scene after the murder of Renee Nicole Good by ICE

    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    While we do drama, don't forget the , the people who live there

    , cofounder of Greenland independence party , loudly reminds the world that his homeland is a free and self-governing territory

    "It’s really frustrating for us. What do you do with friends that are no longer friends? I don't know"

    Whatever issues the Inuit have with obviously is far worse

    https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/greenland-threats-aqqaluk-lynge-9.7035614

    1/3

    Aqqaluk Lynge, former member of Greenland's parliament and one of the founders of the pro-Greenlandic independence party Inuit Ataqatigiit, Greenlandic politician and author
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    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    "Danish troops told to 'shoot first, ask questions later' if invades "

    No one sane and reasonable has a problem with this stance

    goons have a problem with it

    But of course, on the measure of sanity and reasonability, I repeat myself

    As an American, I say: shoot them

    And I know many if not most (sane and reasonable) Americans agree with me

    https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/danish-troops-shoot-first-us-greenland-5HjdQNW_2/

    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    Same naive + corrupt shit, different decade

    Trump with the "Mission Accomplished" Banner from GWBush's appearance after Hussein was toppled in Iraq. Nothing is really addressed and naive fools celebrate as if something is addressed. Meanwhile the corrupt have a field day
    ALT
    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    How you handle making errors in life is a better predictor of happiness and success than whether or not you make errors

    A sleep deprived mother tries to bottle feed her friend instead of her baby. They both crack up about it

    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    What is the meaning of life?

    This is the meaning of life:

    A panda frolicking in the snow