iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 17h

Polarization is not the problem. The problem: ethnonationalists threatening vulnerable citizens' rights. "The people who are the most 'polarized' in the U.S. electorate are those who are racist and sexist, and those who oppose racists and sexists." @lilymasonphd.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

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Nick Ulivieri @nuphoto.com · 02/10/2026

Took a (very) rainy walk through the Loop tonight. I was absolutely soaked, but my camera stayed dry enough.

The pavement in Chicago is wet from a day-long rain. Street and traffic lights reflect on the stored in vivid colors. In the foreground, a person with an umbrella is an out-of-focus silhouette

Calder's Flaming - an orange, abstract metal sculpture in Chicago stands in a wet, reflective plaza. The sculpture is reflected in the rain coating the plaza's stone pavers in the evening with buildings in the background

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Lady Topham Catt @ladytophamcatt.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

another assortment of letter boxes

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hammancheez but spooky @hammancheez.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Yall wanna see a 2 hour old highland cow

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Right, it's not that I disagree that some of the people sentenced to execution are monsters -- many of them are! -- it's that I disagree that we all should be monsters too.

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Angie Nixon @angieforfl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I don't wanna COUCH my words here: I know JD Vance, his eyeliner, and absent Ashley Moody are used to running away from people when things get tough because they care more about themselves and their billionaire buddies than the people they represent. But this is my home. /1

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Somehow not everyone is aware of fact alluded to below. So one more time: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett were all on GWBush 2000 'Florida Recount' team. (Which made GWB first prez in 112 yrs to 'win' after losing popular vote. Now they 'impartially' rule on our future.)

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geoffrey @parsnip.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

there are moral arguments against the death penalty in its ideal form but in real life you never need to get there. the prior question is "can the state be trusted to end the life only of the rightly convicted without torture?" and the answer is no

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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...

But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.

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gamera obscura @ohrobin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Google earth has updated its satellite images of Gaza. The destruction is almost incomprehensible.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 28/09/2026

this is legitimately very funny

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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Going to work now feels like doing homework after the teacher quit and told the class that education is fake. Everyone just coasting on inertia and hoping there's still a point to all this

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Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

One of the hardest things about being a cyclist is dealing with the nagging feeling that a serious crash is inevitable. Because you can indeed do everything "right" and it still does not matter.

I followed every precaution and it didn’t matter

New to biking here

I started in July around the time of the fatal car crash with that biker. That and hearing everyone who bikes to work tell me that they have had horrid experiences with cars was disheartening.

I made sure to only use protected routes. I take Southwest corridor for basically my whole trip and even though it adds so much more time to my commute, it makes me feel safe.

None of that mattered because at some point, even for a second you will hit the main road. And you will always lose to the 4 ton machine. I got hit by a car parking in the bike lane. He was more concerned with his car than the fact that I could have my life potential altered forever because he was looking at his phone. And at the end of the day, the police can literally choose to not respond to your 911 call and you get stuck with medical bills.

It’s hard to have a conversation about sharing the road when people in cars feel entitled to do whatever they want and the only person who’s ever in danger is the biker. I love biking in this city and I have found a really love and joy for the outdoors because of it. Now I am terrified to even get on a bike lane, even if there is one, if it’s shared with the main road.

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Kevin Gannon (now a Moo Deng fan account) @thetattooedprof.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Fellow GenXers: remember how often we were bombarded with images of late-period USSR? Old, decrepit men in charge, clinging to an ossified ideology. Political repression, nakedly false propaganda, empty shelves, food shortages, inadequate health care, deep-seated cynicism, crumbling infrastructure

static.klipy.com

Ironic Star Wars Moment

Alt: A smirking emperor palpatine says "ironic."

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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

In January, Ramirez introduced a standalone bill to abolish ICE and redirect its funding to safety-net programs that can help people navigate the spiraling affordability crisis. truthout.org/articles/the...

truthout.org

The Movement to Abolish ICE Is Gaining Momentum

As activists rally around federal legislation to dismantle ICE, Amnesty International joins the call for abolition.

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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A reminder that lots of states allow same-day registration and it works perfectly fine and would make this kind of insanity moot. Congress can and should mandate it nationwide.

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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

"A woman leaving the facility 'dropped to her knees. She did the sign of the cross in extreme relief. As if coming out of a nightmare,' he said... “May we never become so accustomed to suffering that we stop seeing the humanity of those experiencing it.” www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

miamiherald.com

Amid whistleblower claims, advocates ask lawmakers to visit ICE office in Miramar

Community leaders demand Florida lawmakers investigate Miramar ICE facility amid whistleblower allegations of severe overcrowding and filthy facilities

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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 27/09/2026

Imagine hearing these screams, breaking this window, and going home at night believing what you are doing is right and good.

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Musicology Duck @musicologyduck.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

incidentally i think these guys are the patron saints of bluesky

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In Otter News @in-otter-news.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

After a long day at the aquarium, the otters help tidy their toys away. Payment is made promptly and entirely in ice cubes.

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Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

We’ve now reached the point of “black site” hearings – secret, illegal hearings as part of Trump & Stephen Miller’s wretched crusade to detain & deport our immigrant neighbors. Quite literally: hidden tribunals that disappear people.

thecityreporter.nyc

DHS Opens ‘Black Site Docket’ for Immigrants Without Lawyers at 26 Federal Plaza

A reporter from The City Reporter was threatened with arrest while attempting to observe comings and goings from the new courtrooms, which have left advocates mystified and fearing the worst.

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Spencer Ackerman @attackerman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Ha ha that’s gross and should make everyone uncomfortable, anyway, Rahm presided over a Chicago police black site, lied about what it was and then I sued the Chicago police for its records that proved it:

theguardian.com

Homan Square revealed: how Chicago police 'disappeared' 7,000 people

Exclusive: Lawsuit exposes scale of detention at off-the-books interrogation warehouse while attorneys describe find-your-client chase ‘from a Bond movie’

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Tens of thousands of voter registrations have gone unprocessed in Texas. Affecting large areas deeply. If you’re in Texas, check your registration is up to date and accurate ASAP. www.texastribune.org/2026/09/22/t...

texastribune.org

DPS voter registration applications weren’t sent to counties

Counties will start receiving a surge of applications less than two weeks before the Oct. 5 registration deadline, adding work at one of the busiest points in the election calendar.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore @charlespulliam.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The Emma Frost x Miss Piggy comic has hit the internet and it's so, so, so much more magnificent than I ever could have hoped for

Emma Frost: "Emma Frost, darling. I'm a telepath. May I read your mind to ascertain if you're telling the truth?"

Miss Piggy: "But of course, darling I am an open book, a tell-all memoir."

Emma Frost telepathically witnessing the entirety of Miss Piggy's life.

Wolverine: "Frost? She legit?"
Emma Frost: "She's..She's... She's everything. And I would die for her."

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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This is Maeve. She may be the sweetest, most good natured, most trusting dog I have ever met. She was abandoned in DC last week, and since I’m not able to adopt a dog now, I had to turn her over to the Brandywine Animal Shelter. I want to make sure this absolute delight of a dog finds a good home.

An adorable female Rottweiler named Maeve

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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

its odd that the political media hounds dems to constantly comment on every random statement hasan piker makes but don't do the same for Republicans of the top GOP megadonor two cycles in a row

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

If executive branch creates a system so that people under government control can be located and then just stops listing some people in that system — despite their still being under government control — that should be a five-alarm fire for the other branches, the states, and the public.

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Adam McKay @ghostpanther.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Wrote it with Rob Smigel. And yes, it was pulled from reruns.

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Ian Coldwater 🧊🚫 @lookitup.baby · 20/09/2026

Amtrak didn’t tell us about this exposure, so heads up: if you took an Amtrak train last week through Chicago or anywhere on the Southwest Chief, Coast Starlight, or California Zephyr routes like we did, you may have been exposed to measles! Please let the train people in your life know about this

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Hakeem Jefferson @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Nikole Hannah-Jones w/ a sobering follow-up on her decision yrs ago to enroll her daughter in a poor, majority-Black public school rather than a wealthier, whiter private school. You leave heartbroken for the kids being failed by this grossly unequal system. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...

nytimes.com

In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own? (Gift Article)

A decade ago, I made a decision about my daughter’s education that I hoped would challenge New York City’s separate and unequal school system. Now 16, she thinks I made the wrong choice.

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Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ @padresj.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

It's strange how Democratic Socialists - who are being denounced by both parties - turned major deficits into balanced budgets in both New York and Seattle.

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Patrick Andelic @pkandelic.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The Muppets have to put on a show to save the Kennedy Center. There you go, Disney, that's your premise.

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Puff the Magic Hater @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

ICE activity has been picking up again in Chicago A LOT. If you were previously involved with ICE watch efforts, now is a good time to reengage. I’m going to start wearing a whistle again.

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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The U.S. military swung into action to intercept a Chinese ship after an “entirely false” AI-generated intelligence report inaccurately identified what the vessel was carrying It also “almost started a war,” a source told CNN.

cnn.com

Exclusive: US military had close call after using AI for false intelligence report, sources say | CNN Politics

The episode shows the risks of using this new, relatively poorly understood technology in the middle of the Iran war

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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

A real problem with concerns about oil prices spiking even more than they already have is that people cannot do anymore to mitigate increased costs. There's already been mass layoffs, SNAP cuts, plus higher energy and food prices. The unnecessary US-Canada trade war. People are exhausted.

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eliko thalia @museinrevolt.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

just learned this today

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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 16/09/2026

Ahmed Soliman has been missing for six days. ICE says it is “not responsible” for this, even though they forcibly expelled him to an authoritarian country he’d never even been to. Please take the time today to follow this link to contact your lawmakers, especially Arizonans! findahmedsoliman.org

findahmedsoliman.org

Help find Ahmed Soliman — Civic Action Tool

Review a draft, open it in Gmail, Outlook, or your mail app, and send it yourself. No sign-in, no data collected.

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Garth Marenghi's Catbus @catbus.phd · 17/09/2026

great art articulates eternal truths

script of the end of Waiting for Godot which has been modified to read

ESTRAGON: Well, shall we log off?
VLADIMIR: Yes, let's log off.
[They do not log off]

CURTAIN

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Nicolas Hénin @nicolashenin.net · 17/09/2026

Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!

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Jacob Geller @jacobgeller.com · 17/09/2026

Mel Blanc screams are like Greek fire, we lost the technology to make sounds like this

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brentlythomas @brentlythomas.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

sort of like the daily hate from brave new world 😱

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Amy @lolennui.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

She’s an Emmy winner!!!

@katiedippold tweet:

TBT to Halloween when I dressed as the babadook but my friend's house had more of a grown ups drinking wine vibe

(Image of Katie in full babadook costume and makeup surrounded by people in casual clothes)

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Diedrich Bader @diedrichbader.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

When my son was 5 he had a sartorial flair To go to arts delicatessen he wore a midnight blue cape, top hat &monocle As we were leaving an older gent stopped him saying “young man, i like your style” Meant the world to our son that man was Bob Mackie RIP

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shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

he did many of cher’s and dolly’s most glamorous gowns but what i will always remember most about bob mackie was this iconic look. and i think he’d be fine with that.

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the babahuck @tylerhuckabee.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Susan Sontag's 9/16/01 piece in The New Yorker got her crucified but it's one of the few things from that era that aged well. "'Our country is strong,' we are told again and again. I for one don’t find this entirely consoling. Who doubts that America is strong? But that’s not all America has to be."

The disconnect between last Tuesday’s monstrous dose of reality and the self-righteous drivel and outright deceptions being peddled by public figures and TV commentators is startling, depressing. The voices licensed to follow the event seem to have joined together in a campaign to infantilize the public. Where is the acknowledgment that this was not a “cowardly” attack on “civilization” or “liberty” or “humanity” or “the free world” but an attack on the world’s self-proclaimed superpower, undertaken as a consequence of specific American alliances and actions? How many citizens are aware of the ongoing American bombing of Iraq? And if the word “cowardly” is to be used, it might be more aptly applied to those who kill from beyond the range of retaliation, high in the sky, than to those willing to die themselves in order to kill others. In the matter of courage (a morally neutral virtue): whatever may be said of the perpetrators of Tuesday’s slaughter, they were not cowards.

Our leaders are bent on convincing us that everything is O.K. America is not afraid. Our spirit is unbroken, although this was a day that will live in infamy and America is now at war. But everything is not O.K. And this was not Pearl Harbor. We have a robotic President who assures us that America still stands tall. A wide spectrum of public figures, in and out of office, who are strongly opposed to the policies being pursued abroad by this Administration apparently feel free to say nothing more than that they stand united behind President Bush. A lot of thinking needs to be done, and perhaps is being done in Washington and elsewhere, about the ineptitude of American intelligence and counter-intelligence, about options available to American foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, and about what constitutes a smart program of military defense. But the public is not being asked to bear much of the burden of reality. The unanimously applauded, self-congratulatory bromides of a Soviet Party Congress seemed contemptible. The unanimity of the sanctimonious, reality-concealing rhetoric spouted by American officials and media commentators in recent days seems, well, unworthy of a mature democracy.

Those in public office have let us know that they consider their task to be a manipulative one: confidence-building and grief management. Politics, the politics of a democracy—which entails disagreement, which promotes candor—has been replaced by psychotherapy. Let’s by all means grieve together. But let’s not be stupid together. A few shreds of historical awareness might help us understand what has just happened, and what may continue to happen. “Our country is strong,” we are told again and again. I for one don’t find this entirely consoling. Who doubts that America is strong? But that’s not all America has to be.

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Jess Pendley @jesspendley.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Future me watching temporary -productivity-burst me commit to meetings and calls.

A small machine, the front resembles a smiling face, and its back reflected in the mirror behind it resembles a horrified face.

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