iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Maybe there should be Little Free Taco Libraries where unwanted tacos can be left safely for others to claim

Reposted by Dave Awl

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 07/10/2026

ICE is slamming far northern Illinois for a second day in a row. Rapid responders in Rockford say federal agents detained a group of roofing workers this morning—eight men all the way from Minnesota. Volunteers are currently trying to locate their families. From a local immigration attorney:

From Sara Dady Facebook page

Image of black pathfinder SUV

Sprayed plates like on this vehicle currently parked at the Radisson on Bell School Road in Rockford are illegal. FLOCK can't read ICE's sprayed plates but can read law-abiding drivers' plates.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

It's plausible. He probably goes around picking up all the sausages that have expired.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Mark Foley definitely belongs on that list ... odd how nobody ever mentions him anymore.

en.wikipedia.org

Mark Foley scandal - Wikipedia

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The Republicans are spending bazillions of dollars to tell people that the sun is shining, but this time it won't work because all people have to do is look out their own windows to see that it's pouring down rain. And in a lot of cases we don't even have to do that because the ceiling is leaking.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It has only just now occurred to me that Death is the Mr Sandor of Kleinzeit.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

If you're lucky you might find a few watermelon leaves on the other side

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I have no idea whether Terry Pratchett ever read Russell Hoban's novel Kleinzeit (from 1974), but you could at least make a case that they were talking to a similar muse where Death was concerned.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

One side tastes like Jolly Rancher cherry, the other tastes like sour apple

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

*Jack Nicholson voice* I want you to hold the tape between your knees

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

There are three contenders for me: 1) The Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz 2) The Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 3) The evil magician from Lidsville (played by Charles Nelson Reilly, who no longer seemed so menacing by the time I was watching him on Match Game)

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Reposted by Dave Awl

Tom the Dancing Bug, by Ruben Bolling @rubenbolling.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU’RE REGISTERED, check to make sure. Trumpists are purging the rolls. www.vote.org/am-i-registe... Deadline is TOMORROW in Alaska, Rhode Island, South Carolina. And MONDAY in Arizona, Arkansas Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and *Texas*.

vote.org

Check Your Voter Registration Status - Vote.org

It takes less than 30 seconds to check your registration status with our free 50-state tool. And if you're not registered, we'll help you take care of that too. Fast, free, secure, non-partisan.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Ugh, typo: I meant to say "brain bleed," aka stroke, in the post about Hazel's GoFundMe.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

It's also worth noting that Hazel O’Connor is still recovering from a brain breed that she experienced in 2022. There's a GoFundMe for her health expenses, including recent updates on her condition, which has been shared by her official Facebook page.

gofundme.com

Donate to Will You? Care for Hazel, organized by Claire Wheeler

Hazel rose to fame in the early 80's writing the soundtrack and starring in the film Breaking … Claire Wheeler needs your support for Will You? Care for Hazel

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

And here's a TV performance of the same song. The hair, makeup, outfit, and delivery: all perfection.

youtube.com

Hazel O'Connor - 8th Day

YouTube video by Kubr1ck

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#SaturdayNewWave: Here's the fantastic Hazel O'Connor, who many remember from the 1980 film Breaking Glass, performing her song "Eighth Day" in a concert scene from that movie. The dystopian lyrics about machines replacing humans feel ... a bit on the nose for the current era.

youtube.com

Hazel O'Connor - Eighth Day HQ

YouTube video by Golden 80s music

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

When you see John Kelly's name as a candidate for Chicago mayor, it might be helpful to have a sense of who's excited about his candidacy ...

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Reposted by Dave Awl

United Farm Workers @ufw.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

A 24 year old farm worker was killed by heat in Mississippi. No worker should be killed on the job, but we still have no enforceable federal heat protection rules. 1/

A screenshot of the Mississippi today headline: Farm worker, 24, dies of heat exposure in North Mississippi

Obed Azahel Hernandez Perez from Mexico died while harvesting sweet potatoes, according to the Chickasaw County coroner

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Not a great way to start off Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Shame on the Chicago alders on this committee who couldn't be bothered to show up for survivors.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Important PSA, well and clearly stated. (Thread.)

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Reposted by Dave Awl

Jen Taub @jentaub.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Let this sink in. Cornell University refused to refund Jane Doe's tuition the semester she was raped. Without this money, she could not transfer to another school. Essentially, she was forced to stay on campus where she saw those seven rapists frequently. Eventually she dropped out of college.

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Reposted by Dave Awl

Robyn Swirling @rswirling.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

After being raped by a man on my hall sophomore year, I couldn’t leave my dorm room for weeks and failed several classes. I had to take out student loans so I could retake those credits. We almost never talk about the financial toll of campus sexual assault on survivors.

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Reposted by Dave Awl

Rep. Justin J. Pearson @justinjpearson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

ONE WEEK LEFT to register to vote in TN. There is no same-day registration, so everyone must be registered by October 5th. It is also important that you double-check your registration. You can do both on Vote.org! Early voting starts on Oct. 14th.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Huge gratitude to everyone who sponsored me this year! And there's still time to chip in to my fundraiser for Mother and Child Alliance, if you'd like to. action.aidschicago.org/DaveAwl26

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

We had a beautiful fall morning for AIDS Run & Walk Chicago on Saturday. It was wonderful to get together with my colleagues from @motherchild.bsky.social (Mother and Child Alliance), along with other local HIV/AIDS organizations, to raise funds for a worthy cause.

Photo of Dave on a sunny morning at AIDS Run & Walk Chicago, pausing along the route. Behind him are the blue waters of Lake Michigan, and a stream of other walkers making their way along the path, under a bright blue sky.

Photo of five members of Mother and Child Alliance's staff, standing on a field of green grass, wearing their orange team shirts, under a blue sky with Soldier Field in the background.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This is horrific. Shame on Connecticut and any other state that does this to people. "But now Billy was dead, and the state of Connecticut said he owed $232,733 for room and board during his earlier prison stay. Selling the house where DeSenti now lived alone would help satisfy that debt."

ctmirror.org

They served their time in prison. Then the bills arrived.

Hundreds of CT residents have had money seized through a law that allows the state to charge a fee for every day a person spends in prison.

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Reposted by Dave Awl

James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

My dad was a small-town doctor who made late-night house calls on most nights I can remember growing up—and to my personal knowledge forgave (or delayed) payments from people who were on hard times. This story makes me want to move to Kansas and spend next 5+ weeks canvassing.

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Reposted by Dave Awl

Whitney Curry Wimbish @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The youngest person his pager attack killed was 9-year-old Fatima Abdullah, who had just started 4th grade. The pager was on a table when it went off and she picked it up to take to her dad. It exploded in her face and reports said it covered the room in her blood. She wanted to learn English.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

forgive me, my mouth has "gone rogue" on the plums in the icebox

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Just got the current issue of The New Yorker in the mail, and its cover (by Barry Blitt) is worth several thousand words.

Cover of the September 28, 2026 issue of The New Yorker with an cartoon-style illustration by Barry Blitt entitled "Pulling the Plug." It shows a man in a white lab coat, desperately trying to unplug a bank of computer equipment from a wall socket. He has the orange power cord wrapped around his arm and is pulling so hard on the plug that he's actually standing on the wall with both feet braced against it, but the poor guy just can't seem to get it loose.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

And the compounding factor is that years of depending on Trump's ability to flood the zone and hijack the conversation has created a kind of learned helplessness throughout the Republican party, which may take them a long time to unlearn ... if we're lucky

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I’ve had a couple of anonymous benefactors chip in to sponsor me for AIDS Run & Walk Chicago this Saturday. If it was you, I’m sending immense gratitude your way! For everyone else, there are 3 days left — a few bucks can help provide a lifeline for moms with HIV. action.aidschicago.org/DaveAwl26

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I just re-read Fremder earlier this year, and was amazed by it all over again.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Also, I included this in the alt text but I should say it here as well: photo is by Patti’s longtime collaborator Tony Shanahan.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Patti Smith shared this photo of her with Joan Baez, taken at City Lights Books a few days ago, and I love it so much I had to reshare it. Two of my musical heroes, and continual sources of inspiration & joy. (I think this was a reading for Patti's book Bread of Angels, newly out in paperback.)

Photo of Patti Smith with her arm around Joan Baez, both smiling and standing in front of bookshelves at City Lights Books in San Francisco in September 2026. Joan is holding a bouquet of flowers. Patti is wearing a City Lights T-shirt under her coat. Photo by Tony Shanahan.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

This book looks great — bumping it up to the top of my queue.

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Reposted by Dave Awl

Terri Windling @terriwindling.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I'm hearing a lot about this in the book world, and my husband is hearing a lot about this in the theatre world. If you care about the arts, please put pressure on your local MP as this really needs to change.

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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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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

That makes sense! Glad you're branching out and I hope you enjoy these two as well.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Two great reads! Both favorites of mine. I just reread Fremder earlier this year, and as so often happens with Hoban books, there were parts of it I felt like I was seeing for the first time despite multiple previous readings.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I love that line so much! That was one of the passages I chose to read when we did a reading for Russell Hoban's centenary in Chicago last year.

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Not only a great spinster book, but a very autumnal kind of book. Perfect for this time of year. #SpinsterSeptember

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Dave Awl @daveawl.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I honestly questioned whether this was real when I first saw the video, but the details have been confirmed. "A woman from Woolwich says a political canvasser took an Amazon package from her front porch Wednesday afternoon after leaving a flyer in support of U.S. Senator Susan Collins."

wmtw.com

Maine woman says political canvasser stole Amazon package from her porch

A woman from Woolwich says a political canvasser took an Amazon package from her front porch Wednesday afternoon after leaving a flyer in support of U.S. Senator Susan Collins.

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