First as tragedy, then as a cheerleading routine

We NEED this rain this morning. Been so long since we've had heavy, steady rain.

Travis Koshko@traviskoshko.bsky.social · 6d ago

UPDATE: Extreme drought conditions remain unchanged this week across central Virginia, though thanks to recent rain the severe drought region has shrunk a little bit.

RETVRN (... to a time before this. Maybe Internet Sites was a mistake)

I for one am very glad O Brother, Where Art Thou is getting renewed attention. That's the only Odyssey screen adaptation I care for. Truly one of my favorite movies. Though the road may wind, yea your hearts grow weary, still shall you follow that road, even unto your salvation!

Hello cat

“We know what prevents deaths of people cycling, it’s the same thing that will shift people from ‘interested but concerned’ to choose cycling: high-quality cycling infrastructure like protected bike lanes. The only thing standing in the way of us having that is political will…” Via @cyclehalifax.ca

Cycling infrastructure saves lives - The Coast | News, events, restaurants, concerts and Burger Week for Halifax, Nova Scotia

When I opened Instagram on Monday night and saw the screenshot saying that a person cycling had been killed in Halifax, I felt deeply sad, but I was also angry. Many people I know and care about have ...

thecoast.ca

Really hate companies foisting subscriptions on us for everything!

Waldo Jaquith@waldo.net · 2w ago

I don't get Ford selling a $50,000 truck and then wanting me to pay $8/month to use their navigation system. We all have iPhones or Android phones that already do this. Even more foolish, it's an EV—this takes me out of their charging ecosystem. They're just so bad at this.

Happy #Caturday from this potted cat!

So like, all of Canada's forests are burning?

http://www.charlottesville.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/2617 “conservation of our drinking water is essential as declining stream and reservoir water levels indicate we may be experiencing an extended drought” #cville #drought #CleanWater

Drought Watch Declared

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 14, 2026Drought Watch DeclaredCHARLOTTESVILLE, VA –The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority has declared an official Drought Watch for the Albemarle/Charlottesville area.

charlottesville.gov

💯 every bit of this thread

Tab Combs@drtcombs.bsky.social · 3w ago

10/10 And we're working as hard as we can to make it possible for other people to beat that system as well.

It's true not everyone can walk, or ride a bike, or use public transit. But for most of us, that's not because of anything to do with the act of walking, biking, or using transit itself. 🧵

For something a little different... a crazy looking mushroom I saw hiking this past weekend. I think it's a type of waxcap mushroom.

Ah so we're appointing Senators now

So much police violence is the norm. Around 3 people a day die from police violence. One-third of them are running away. mappingpoliceviolence.us

Mapping Police Violence

Official home of America's most comprehensive database of police violence. Get the facts about police brutality and how to address it.

mappingpoliceviolence.us

I think it's the chronological feed that's the distinction. Twitter (and FB before that) were good social media sites when you could access a feed that wasn't sorted by algorithm. Mastodon could be good if it didn't have Linux levels of adoption.

Greg Pak@gregpak.net · 4w ago

bluesky is as much or more fun than twitter ever was if you make a few friends and follow the right people

If you were lucky enough to finish most of your cognitive development before widespread GPS adoption ? Try to use a paper map now as often as you can so that you keep that ability. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Habitual use of GPS negatively impacts spatial memory during self-guided navigation - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Habitual use of GPS negatively impacts spatial memory during self-guided navigation

nature.com

Linda Holmes@lindaholmes.bsky.social · 4w ago

The thing is yes, paper maps, but also: You naturally learned how to get around more than people do now. I knew my way around my early neighborhoods where I drove a lot better than I have in the ones where I had GPS all the time.

Know a local nonprofit doing great work in Charlottesville? The Charlottesville Ten Miler is accepting applications for 2027 race beneficiaries. Apply by August 5: www.cvilletenmiler.com/beneficiarie... Please share!

A small private college has been a great fit for my oldest child who's going back this fall for his second year at Roanoke College. Significant in our choice of college was their financial health, which lead us to rule out several options. So many small schools are struggling, it's a sad situation.

Meg Mulrooney@megmulrooney.bsky.social · 4w ago

All three small private colleges around me are in danger (again, still). MBC probation just announced. It will devastate the Valley, its culture, its communities if even one closes. augustafreepress.com/news/mary-ba...

All three small private colleges around me are in danger (again, still). MBC probation just announced. It will devastate the Valley, its culture, its communities if even one closes. augustafreepress.com/news/mary-ba...

Mary Baldwin University put on probation by accreditation body

Mary Baldwin University has been placed on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

augustafreepress.com

Meg Mulrooney@megmulrooney.bsky.social · 4w ago

Author leads with Hopkins, but it’s the rest of the list that truly matters. Regional publics and small private colleges. Very bad news. www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...

Some days having muted the name of a prominent political candidate in another state can make the timeline a bit incoherent. It's been several days now. Can that guy sink into obscurity faster, please?

I recall the enthusiasm when serving on the Cville Human Rights Commission as we were moving ahead to partner with the EEOC and HUD to get some actual enforcement teeth to deal with local discrimination cases. All that effort is being undermined by the toadies Trump is putting in charge.

Timothy McBride@mcbridetd.bsky.social · last mo.

At Trump’s Direction, Federal Agencies Are Abandoning Discrimination Cases www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/u...

Trompe l'oeil, more like Trump l'oeil (3rd pic shows how the column pilasters and entablature, seen behind the flags, are actually just printed and wallpapered onto flat surfaces.)

Prem Thakker ツ@premthakker.bsky.social · last mo.

Incredible

Institutional reforms always deserve scrutiny, but this one is undoubtedly and clearly for the good of the country. Good riddance!

Szabolcs Panyi@szabolcspanyi.bsky.social · last mo.

A long-awaited day for Hungarian democracy: parliament has dissolved Orbán’s Russia-style Sovereignty Protection Office, which branded civil society and journalists — including me — as Western foreign agents. It even employed a former senior Communist state security officer who spied on dissidents.

This "luxury" housing is such a misnomer. It's just new housing. What are they gonna build? Shit housing? Unfortunately it would not cost much different than nice housing. So much of the cost of new construction is basic structure and mechanicals (plus land) finishes are actually a minor cost.

Styrofoam pastiche, fitting for this admin.

amanda moore 🐢@noturtlesoup17.bsky.social · last mo.

I finally made it to the Great American State Fair. The columns on this fake building are something to behold.

Plunder and looting of what belongs in common just to feed his vanity.

Tyler King@tyleraking.com · last mo.

Just immense levels of looting. He’s starving our parks to redesign DC as his personal palace.

In your regular reminder that “luxury” is a meaningless marketing term, this signage was for the site of a now competed and awesome 100% affordable LIHTC development near me.

Mike English@mocomikee.bsky.social · 6mo ago

I got you

At caucus, they asked us, the party faithful, if we should add "abolish ICE" language to the Colorado Democratic Party platform. It passed with 98% approval. 98 fucking percent. That's why we're mad. Because y'all don't match our energy.

This sentencing is a direct result of war on terror "material support" laws. "Without material support, numerous perpetrators would go undetected because they did not completely carry out a violent act. To prevent an attack, material support statutes are essential in prosecuting potential actors."