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@clintonharrisgal.bsky.social

Politics, history, movies, British telly. Pets are life. Not going back.

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Tom Astle@tjalamont.bsky.social · last mo.

Back from two days in the Mojave Desert, where my (legally registered captive) desert tortoises, Bob & Eddie, had an "acting" gig for a nature documentary. Desert torts are Endangered in California and Threatened nationally, so handling wild ones isn't allowed – so enter Bob & Eddie, stage right. 🐢🎬

A photo at ground level behind a desert tortoise, walking across the desert floor not long after sunrise. In the distance are creosote bushes and a lone Joshua Tree. The sky is cloudless.A photo looking down at a desert tortoise named Bob, who is circling a Canon camera atop a beanbag on the desert floor. Bob looks a bit wary, because he generally prefers working with Nikon gear.A photo of sunrise in the Mojave Desert. The sun is barely peeking above the horizon, dead center in the lower third of the frame. The sky is cloudless, and the orange dawn light is backlighting a scraggly creosote bush in the foreground, highlighting its little fuzzy white seed pods.A phone pic of sunrise in the Mojave Desert, with a clear sky and the sun and surrounding orange glow just above the horizon, behind a stand of Joshua Trees and creosote bushes.
Tom Cox@dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Very probably the best photo I've ever taken of a 16th Century dovecote with a cow standing in front of it, surrounded by buttercups, looking like she has just dropped a debut album she is thoroughly proud of.

A cow, standing in front of the dovecote in Bruton, Somerset, about a month ago. Lovely town. Beautiful architecture. Had a chat with a really nice lady from an old farming family after I took this. Sadly quite a few stuck-up down-from-London snotbags live there these days and houses cost a fortune as a result.
Anne Applebaum@anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 3mo ago

This is an outrageous attack on the Smithsonian, on the professionals who work there and the Americans who love it. Like the Bolsheviks deliberately destroying churches www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...

Trump orders warning signs near Smithsonian, escalating fight over history

The president’s executive order calls for signage near the National Museum of American History cautioning visitors about “inaccurate information.”

washingtonpost.com

Chris Hayes@chrislhayes.bsky.social · 4mo ago

To be clear: the lower court said the map intentionally discriminates against black people in violation of the *constitution* (not just the VRA) and the MAGA Majority of SCOTUS is saying "that's ok now."

Chris Geidner@chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 4mo ago

BREAKING: In an unsigned, per curiam opinion on the shadow docket, the SCOTUS conservatives allow Alabama to use a congressional map held repeatedly by a lower court to have been enacted with discriminatory intent.

At this preliminary stage, the State has shown that it is entitled to interim relief from the District Court's injunc-tion. See Abbott v. League of United Latin American Citi-zens, 607 U. S. 一 (2025) (slip op., at 1-2). The State is likely to succeed on the merits as to both claims. As to intentional vote dilution, the District Court did not heed the presumption of legislative good faith, see Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, 602 U. S. 1, 10 (2024), because it interpreted the State's legal disagreement with the court's earlier remedial order as proof of discriminatory animus. Cf. Abbott v. Perez, 585 U. S. 579, 608-609 (2018). And, as to both claims, the District Court's analysis departed from Callais. Under Callais, the District Court was required to deny relief unless the plaintiffs' alternative map performed "just as well" with respect to all of the State's constitutionally permissible districting crite-ria. 608 U. S., at— (slip op., at 29). Yet, the District Court found a violation even though the plaintiffs' alternative map would not perform just as well as to the State's constitutionally permissible criteria of keeping together the Gulf Coast community of interest and avoiding the pairing of in-cumbents. The District Court also failed to follow our instruction in Callais that the mere fact that voters of different races vote for different parties is not relevant to proving racially polarized voting patterns. See id., at _ (slip op., at 30).
Kyle Clark@kylec.bsky.social · 5mo ago

NEW: Sen Michael Bennet (D) says he will not appoint Gov Jared Polis to the Senate if Bennet is elected Governor. Bennet calls Polis' clemency for Tina Peters "disqualifying"

Francisca Staines@franciscawrites.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The one time I had to call them, a few years back, they were amazing. Compassionate after I explained the problem, and very professional and efficient in offering information and possible solutions. They are a great bunch!

Jennifer Laughran@literaticat.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Basically, this gov't may be a total clusterf'k, but at least there is SOMEBODY doing their job with aplomb. There's at least one dude at a desk in washington DC being cool as hell. And hey, maybe that's worth celebrating at this point. (Put HIM on the ballot! I'd vote for him!)