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Okay, Michele

@okaymichele.bsky.social
623 followers 394 following 357 posts

PNW ➡️ MN. Bikes, coffee. Took my profile with a Nikon CoolPix waaaaayyyyy back in the day.

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Reposted by Okay, Michele
Laura G Mitchell @lauragmitchell.com · 7h
Someone (not sure if it was the city or Michels contractors after finishing work here) removed all of the tactical urbanism cones on Blaisdell last week. Since then, 75% of the time I’m on this street (4x/day) I see drivers pull into the bikelane.
MPRB landscaping truck in a protected bikelane Blue sedan also in protected bikelane behind MPRB vehicle
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 16h
Todd Blanche Stole the Justice Due Becca Good and Gave It to Katie Miller emptywheel.net/2026/10/02/t...
emptywheel.net
Todd Blanche Stole the Justice Due Becca Good and Gave It to Katie Miller - emptywheel
When announcing the arrest of a guy who sent Katie Miller 40 mean messages, Todd Blanche claimed he would give everyone such protection. But a Klan Act lawsuit filed by Renee Good's family proves that...
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Alex @mplsalex.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
What’s a good Halloween movie for a group of kids aged 10-13?
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Warren Terra @warrenterra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I went looking for a good link about Newt and Susan Smith, and found this from 2016:
motherjones.com
A very long list of dumb and awful things Newt Gingrich has said and done
Still, he may have a prominent role in the Trump administration.
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Anne Lutz Fernandez @lutzfernandez.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Newly updated:
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
If somehow you’ve never heard from and learned about Jan Gehl, WATCH this very small taste of his unique career, and his singular contribution to public spaces in particular. Reading “Life Between Buildings” when I was young literally changed the course of my career. share.google/razqbJ0n7T0g...
Jan Gehl on the Copenhagen Stroget pedestrian street.
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Anne Lutz Fernandez @lutzfernandez.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Writing about this exhibition at the Reykjavik Art Museum of work by Icelandic artist Erró. It speaks so potently to the past century and to this moment.
listasafnreykjavikur.is
Erró exhibition at the Reykjavík Art Musem
The artist Erró, born Guðmundur Guðmundsson in 1932 in Ólafsvík, West Iceland, was among the most prominent figures of the European avant-garde of the 1960s.
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Kimista @kimista.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The NGV's stained glass ceiling. It's so magical to lay there and watch the light move across the room. It's so enormous and impossible to take it all in at once. (It's the largest stained glass ceiling in the world, but I'm not sure there is much competition.)
A photo of The Great Hall at the National Gallery of Victoria. The stained glass ceiling is about 13 metres high, 15 metres wide, and 51 metres long. It has an abstract rainbow pattern with tall poles holding up sections of the ceiling. The light is gently shining through the window.A closer photo of the stained glass showing the various patterns, shapes, and colours.A wider photo of the hall showing people laying on the ground looking up to the ceiling.A shot of the full length of the ceiling all 15m wide and 51m long.
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Wes Burdine @wesburdine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The neighborhood coffeeshop has reopened! Sounds the tornado sirens!
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Gil Penalosa @penalosag.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Please watch & share with your city's decision makers: WHEN DRIVING ISN'T AN OPTION • Presents superb Anna Zivarts, ED of Nondrivers Alliance. Too many cities built as if all drove, when over 30% do not. All under 16, pp with physical or mental disabilities, others. bit.ly/4gXIEjT
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Kevin Gallatin @kevingallatin.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I'm so excited for this!
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LifuX @lifux.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This is why the internet was invented... #LifuX #Dogs #Dogsofbluesky
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Rachel @rachmarie.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Gigi is still available! Go get her!
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Alex Winter @alexwinter.com · 08/09/2026
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open, period.
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Dezeen @dezeen.com · 08/09/2026
Ten American ADUs that showcase their urban versatility: www.dezeen.com/2026/04/12/usa-adu-r…
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Remember that they did the same within the states--lots of people kidnapped in MN were robbed in TX before being sent back with nothing.
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Pat Thompson @pattho.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Three more colorful foliage plants that last all season so you don’t have to rely on flowers for color. And they can become houseplants too. Polka dot plant (Hypoestes) Confetti Pink, White and Rose. #FlowerReport
Low plants with small dark green leaves heavily spotted or dominated by light pink. Miniature ceramic houses in the background.Low plants with small dark green leaves heavily spotted or dominated by white. Miniature ceramic house in the background.Low plants with small dark green leaves heavily spotted or dominated by bright pink. A rock made into a house with a wooden door is in the background.
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Pat Thompson @pattho.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
It’s mistflower season. This US native perennial looks just like the annual ageratum, confusing everyone. Aggressive reseeder. #FlowerReport
Panicle of small fluffy starry lavender flower heads.
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Goodnews @goodnews.computer · 04/09/2026
Take a break from being depressed that everything you love is being destroyed by slop for a moment and let me tell you about the beautiful symbiotic relationship between graffiti writers, train yard workers, and model train enthusiasts.
A hand holding a model train with a replica of the same graffiti on the full scale train car behind it.A model train with two graffiti pieces on opposite sides.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I'm glad other people are covering this case -- I first covered the beanie back in July. But I'm increasingly seeing people (as here) covering CRIMINAL CASES and calling them lawsuits. 38 people are fighting to stay out of prison. [Also, the case against the 39th was dismissed entirely.]
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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
"Realizing that people in Germany could just go to the supermarket and spend $550 on a balcony solar panel that they could install themselves vs. $30,000 for a rooftop system was, uh, mildly radicalizing" - Kim-Mai Cutler www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol... US hates those cheap chinese solar...
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Kevin Gallatin @kevingallatin.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This is a really great article by a successful and respected Saint Paul entrepreneur.
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A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Because so many of us, both within the disability community and outside of it, are impacted by barriers created by car dependency, #WeekWithoutDriving offers us a chance to build relationships and power, all while amplifying our demand for more accessible communities. @disabilitylab.bsky.social
disabilityculturelab.org
Week Without Driving is About Access: How the Nondriver Movement is Building Disability Power — Disability Culture Lab
People with disabilities are one and a half times less likely to drive than nondisabled people, and two to three times more likely to live in a zero-vehicle household. We use transit and paratransit f...
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Welcoming Neighbors Network @welcomingneighbors.us · 03/09/2026
Idaho legalized ADUs statewide. Boise is making them easier to build with free pre-approved plans and streamlined permitting. Great case of state reform creating a floor and local leaders raising it. ⬆️
idahostatesman.com
With free plans, Boise has big hopes for tiny homes. It starts in your own backyard
Boise is offering free plans to homeowners who want to add an accessory-dwelling unit, and local residents are starting to take note.
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Anne Lutz Fernandez @lutzfernandez.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
JFC. Absolutely amazing to see how invisible the effects of car culture have been on so many of those who should be leading the way out of its grip. Imagine discovering the problems of walkability for the first time because of E bikes and scooters. Resisting the urge to bang my head on the wall.
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shiftedshaped - emily mae @shiftedshaped.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
✨Twin Cities✨ If you’re a women’s S, M, L, XL, 1X or 8 1/2 shoe, we have a bunch of rad goods we’ll be selling on Sept 12 at @queermunitymn.bsky.social! We’ll be rocking them for minimal $’s but if you desire it for free.99, we’d probably be into that too. Put it on the calendar & visit with us!
pink and white background flyer with the text:

QUEER CO-OP
CLUTTER SALE
Have some cute clutter that needs to go?? Babe no worries because now you can sell your cute clutter to other cool queers who want it!
Sep 12, 2-5pm
Queermunity
$5 entry fee, NOTAFLOF
$15 vending fee
All profits donated to
TIGERRRS
things to sell
• clothing, shoes, accessories
• makeup, skin care, body stuff
• trinkets, fidget, cool toys
• blankets, pillows, stuffies
• nerd stuff, books, games, puzzles
• decor such as rugs,
lamps,
nicknacks, trinkets
• plants, pet stuff or any cute eclectic or whimsy clutter!
Vendors will be allowed to bring 1 folding table, and 1-2 clothing racks. We will provide moving truck to donate any unsold items after the event!
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Anne Lutz Fernandez @lutzfernandez.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
@cathylutz.bsky.social and I traveled for a book tour from Stamford, CT to Vancouver, Canada one summer without getting into a car, stopping at and exploring Chicago, Milwaukee, Whitefish, MT, Portland, and Seattle. It was a delight.
nytimes.com
An East Coast Summer Vacation, All by Public Transportation
A self-described transit romantic set out to visit prime summer destinations using only public transportation. Would getting there really be half the fun?
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MaryMM @marymm.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Don't make @mateosfo.bsky.social calculate *your* state's actual cost of car dependence. Demand it from your state department of transportation and your city's department of public works. Take the total and divide it all the adults in your state. Then cry.
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Anne Lutz Fernandez @lutzfernandez.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
New report on the attacks on libraries. Just because there isn’t a lot of coverage these days compared to a few years ago about book bans and censorship doesn’t mean the wave has subsided.
pen.org
Out of Circulation
Attacks on public libraries have been worsening in recent years, threatening freedoms that form the bedrock of American society.
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Doug Walter (he/his) @dougwalter5.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
“The city was close to bankruptcy in 1993, but it still wanted to promote development, so it had to go with cheapest option available, which was cycling infrastructure.”
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ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 01/09/2026
“I have never awarded a prize to a queer sex shop. That is a surprise.” -Martin Schultz, former head of the EU
martin schultz
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David Brauer @dbrauer.net · 01/09/2026
We did a thing
The Aachen Peace Prize, awarded to Unidos Minnesota (also received by Smittrn Kitten and Palestinians and Jews for Peace).
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ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 01/09/2026
if you’d like to watch our Minneapolis crew from Smitten Kitten and Unidos receive this peace prize, there is a livestream i’ve read the speeches and they are incredible and worth tuning in for
youtube.com
Verleihung des Aachener Friedenspreises 2026
YouTube video by Aachener Friedenspreis
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ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 01/09/2026
it’s weird to be in a smallish city in germany and it’s just…easy to live a life that we dream of at home. healthy food isn’t expensive, transit is bountiful, the city isn’t built around cars, walking is easy. lunch with salad and good beer on a beautiful patio for £10.
kindle, sandwich, bier
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Bogus Logus Gravy Sommelier @thejollycrank.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The fuck? ICE wanted access to the credit card numbers of everyone who bought a particular REI beanie in the Twin Cities?
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Among the things HSI deemed "of interest" to the Cities Church protest were pictures from a (peaceful AFAIK) Whipple protest, including of the Renee Good memorial (which is consistent with Sant, too), a ref to Observer training (again, consistent w/Sant), and donation via ActBlue.
Following this message, BOCANEGRA proceeded to transmit a total of 12 black and white
photographs to Mama Bear, ROBLES and PINEDA MORENO depicting scenes from a protest that
appeared to be at the Whipple Federal building as well as a memorial site. 2. Constitutional Observer Training - Immigrant Defense Network Model for 02/17/2026 to 02/18
/2026 at Brewhalla - market / Events / Hotel, 1702 1st Avenue N. Fargo, NDOn 02/24/2026, there was a $10 (USD) payment to ACTBLUE.
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Okay, Michele @okaymichele.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
🧵
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Rebecca M-O @reduplicater.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
This year it was announced that quinoa, chia, and cardamom were not true Minnesota crops and as of next year would not be allowed in competition. Quinoa is especially useful crop in crop art so some competitors have made their feelings known. Also, crop art at the Smithsonian!
"Not All Seeds Stay Buried" by Kassie Gibbons
This Halloween themed piece in a coffin-framed shape is a tribute to three seeds that have been banned from use in State Fair crop art competition after this year because upon review it was decided they did not grow naturally in Minnesota.

Bats fly and a ghost floats in front of a starry orange sky.  A tree with no leaves partially blocks the crescent moon.  A bit closer, we see a wrought iron fence bordering a graveyard with potentially 5 tombstones.  In front are three new graves for the seeds banned starting next year.  The headstones say:  "Here lies CHIA Banned 2027", "Forever in our Hearts CARDAMOM Banned 2027", and "Beloved QUINOA Banned 2027".  Behind them is an open grave, with a stone saying "YELLOW MUSTARD SEED Banned 2023 Returned 2024".  At the very bottom in the same gray, engraved look, are the words "NOT ALL SEEDS STAY BURIED."

This piece is entirely made of (painted) Black Chia, Red Quinoa, Cardamom, and Yellow Mustard Seed.

It was awarded a fancy purple and chartreuse ribbon for the Kimberly A. Cope Liv2Laf Award.Untitled? by Joel Alter
The top of the piece says "CRAP ART VS. CROP ART" and the bottom says "KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!!"  In between, on the left half of the piece is a crop art version of three dogs playing poker around a round, green felt covered table.  In the middle seat, a bulldog is smoking a cigar. I don't know enough about dogs to name the other two breeds.   A light shines on the three from overhead, and on the left is a window with red curtains, and on the right is a reproduction of Munch's painting "The Scream."  On the right, the picture is similar but the dogs have been replaced with a carrot, a red onion (or a beet?), and an ear of corn.  No vegetables are smoking.

The seed list has been cut off in the photograph so we don't know how many types of crops were used aside from millet, amaranth, and clover or if there was a title or additional information provided.Untitled? by Teresa Anderson
On a red onion skin background are a black, red, green, and yellow butterfly the words 
"AIN'T NO MONEY IN CROP ART 
THAT'S WHAT SETS THE CROP ARTIST FREE"

The seed list says:
With apologies to Guy Clark and Mark Sanders who wrote the country song Cold Dog Soup:  
"Ain't no money in poetry, That's what sets the poet free"

The seedlist also has pictures of the two songwriters. 

In addition to onion skin, the art uses Amaranth, Basil seeds, black lentils, millet (painted), and parsnip seeds.

This piece has been awarded a yellow ribbon for fifth place in its category."Crop Art at the Smithsonian" by Annie Wells
This piece was created to commemorate the "State Fairs: Growing American Craft" folk art exhibit at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, and is very meta.  At the top it says "Crop Art at the Smithsonian."  The bulk of the piece is a rendition of the Renwick Gallery.  Its doors are flanked by blue banners saying "STATE FAIRS" in assorted colors.  In front are crop art versions of the (in real life) Size 96 "Big Tex" cowboy boots. Behind the "windows" are some of the Minnesota crop art portraits that were displayed in the exhibit, including Dolly Parton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Oprah Winfrey, and Prince.  In the upper right window is a crop art version of a butter cow.

The seed list includes clipped photos that inspired elements of the piece and gives credit for the crop art portraits to Laura Melnick, Lillian Colton, Linda Paulson, and Liz Schreiber.  Crops used in this piece are amaranth, basil, millet, onion skins, poppyseed, quinoa, wild rice, and yellow mustard seed.  Some of these were natural colors, others were painted.

This piece was awarded a red ribbon for second place in its category.

The exhibit at the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery ends September 7, 2026.  I regret not knowing about it sooner and perhaps planning a trip to see it.  The remainder of this text is made up of two URLs.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/07/30/minnesota-state-fair-featured-in-new-smithsonian-exhibit
https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/state-fairs
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Fossilized Tree Sap @amberrl.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
MAGAts finally made some crop art that got displayed along with all the rest of the pieces, but that still wasn’t enough. A different crop artist has been doxxed, started receiving death threats, and had to leave the state because people were coming to her house. Absolutely vile people.
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Travis Norvell @pedalingpastor.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
A liberal Christian revival with moonlight and a Dolly Parton tribute song. God bless Sierra Ferrell
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Willy Lee (they/them) @advicepig.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Twin Cities, do you have men in your life who you could bully into going through their closet and donating clothes and shoes they don't wear? We are low on men's clothes at @supplydepotmpls.bsky.social drop off locations here linktr.ee/sanctuarysup...
linktr.ee
sanctuarysupplydepot Official: Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
Mutual aid group in Mpls getting basic necessities to our houseless neighbors
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
This is a wild statistic (from IIHS, a very reputable research org): "Cellphone use prior to crashes is undercounted in police reports by a factor of at least 7."
iihs.org
Study shows police reports undercount cellphone use before crashes
Police usually fail to note drivers talking, texting or fiddling with their phones in crash reports, a new IIHS study shows.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Here are some ways to “De-Google” your life. Other suggestions welcome. If this latest corrupt capitulation to Trump isn’t enough for you, read @doctorow.pluralistic.net’s Enshittification chapter on how Google killed competition and then deliberately made their products worse to increase revenue.
List of how to replace Google servicesList of how to de-Google your devices.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Reup: The latest lessons about how Trump is illegally spying, from the MN cases (in this case, Cities Church). The Surveillance Crimes in the Cities Church Case Keep Stacking Up emptywheel.net/2026/08/29/t...
emptywheel.net
The Surveillance Crimes in the Cities Church Case Keep Stacking Up - emptywheel
Georgia Fort's latest filing in the Cities Church case provides evidence that HSI goons and lawyers working for Harmeet Dhillon knowingly violated both the Privacy Protection Act and the Stored Commun...
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Matthew “Bike Guy” @bikeguy.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
This Kind Of Smart, Walkable, Mixed-use Urbanism Is Illegal To Build In Most American Cities
Crowded state fair
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Sustain Saint Paul @sustainstpaul.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Opening weekend of the Great Minnesotan Get-Together is here, meaning it's once again time to ask: What can cities like Saint Paul learn from State Fair?🏙️🎪 "That kind of vibrancy is the stuff of city planners’ dreams" (Gift Article)
twincities.com
Want to build more vibrant cities? Just look to the State Fair’s design, geographers say
The Fair is a theme park, not a city — but it offers nuggets of urban-planning wisdom.
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amityf @amityf.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
calling all science people: if i washed & dried 3 serrano peppers in with my laundry, and now my clothes vaguely smell of hot pepper (it's not unpleasant), do i need to rewash my clothes because there might be pepper oil on them?
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Amy @amylibrarian.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
The kids and I talked about the resistance art and how the word we heard and used the most was "look." Look it's the bathrobe lady Mom, look more rebel loon Reminded me of 💙 Don't look away 🩵 Look for the helpers 💙 Look out for your neighbors Going to draft some LOOK crop art
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Labor Notes @labornotes.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
"One morning shortly after the movie came out when I was riding the bus to work, I overheard one woman talking to another," writes Ellen Cassedy. “So I said to him,” she said, “‘No, I will not make your coffee!’ I just saw 9 to 5!” labornotes.org/2026/08/doll...
labornotes.org
Dolly Parton Helped Us to Speak Up and Join Together
Dolly Parton’s song, “9 to 5,” has endured as a beloved anthem for nearly half a century. What many people don’t know is that the direct inspiration for the song—and the hit movie—was the 9 to 5 worki...
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