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First Mate Meric

@piratepasta.bsky.social
287 followers 211 following 536 posts

I'm a devout Pastafarian from the US who lives in the UK. Praise the #FSM I love my sphynx cat, wild hedgehogs, backyard ducks, breastfeeding, tabletop & pc/sandbox games, DIY home & craft, wildlife, science, tattoos, sex positivity + antifascism.

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Reposted by First Mate Meric
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 08/10/2026
So, historically, men have used the privilege afforded to them by patriarchy to push the "unprofitable" work of care onto women, making it easier for them to hoard the more profitable (and thus higher-status) work for themselves. And companies encouraged this, because it meant more profits for them.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 08/10/2026
It's telling that men would rather try to invent tech to replace humans' role in caregiving than step up as equal partners in parenting. Telling, that is, in that it shows how financial capitalism and patriarchy work together to dissuade men from doing "unprofitable" labor, like the work of care.
X post from AI industry insider Alvin Sng :

My wife: Can you read our baby a book?
Me: I can just play an audiobook from my phone.
My wife: But then it won't be in your voice.
Me: I can train a voice model.
Parenting hits different when you work in Al.
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Tyler, from the Internet (Haunted) @tylerfromtheinternet.com · 08/10/2026
Principal Skinner: HAVE WE MADE MATERIAL CONDITIONS SO HH ONEROUS, CULTURE SO TOXIC, AND THE ENVIRONMENT SO DEGRADED THAT UNLESS WE REPAIR THE DAMAGE WE'VE DONE PEOPLE WON'T HAVE THE FINANCES. EMOTIONAL BANDWIDTH, OR MORAL COMFORT TO PROCREATE?

NO, IT'S THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT CHILDREN WHO ARE WRONG
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Autocorrect changed the word 'vulvas' to 'vigils' here.
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Kasey Gifford @kaseygifford.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
To put this in perspective chestnut trees used to be dominant species in the United States. Billions of trees were killed by fungal blight and now fully grown America chestnuts are functionally extinct. There is no getting them back. Ever. All for a data center. www.gadgetreview.com/one-of-ameri...
gadgetreview.com
One of America’s Last Chestnut Groves Is About to Be Destroyed for a Data Center
A rare 200-tree American chestnut grove in West Virginia may be cleared for data-center development, but the project denies the site is on its land.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 05/10/2026
Holy shit.
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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Just a reminder: Tillis persuaded the woman Hegseth allegedly raped to come forward with her story, and told her that if she did, it would sink the nomination. She did. At great risk to herself. Tillis then cast the deciding vote for Hegseth. Because he’s a goddamned coward.
ms.now
Outgoing Sen. Tillis regrets pivotal vote for Hegseth: ‘He’s an actor. He’s not a manager’
Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis spoke to MS NOW about regretting his vote to confirm Pete Hegseth and his strained relationship with Trump.
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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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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Just a friendly reminder that plague is prevalent, including in the western United States (see, prairie dogs), with multiple cases annually. It is also highly treatable and, yes, lab acquired infections (incl. fatal cases) have happened over the years, including e.g., UChicago.
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Feena van @feenavan2099.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
"Before Stonehenge was raised, before Egypts first pyramid broke ground,before the Nazca people drew their famous lines across the Peruvian desert,someone in what is now southern Arizona shaped a 272-foot fish into the earth On April 23,2026,"a border-wall contractor drove heavy equipment across it"
gadgetreview.com
Trump's Border Wall Construction Destroys 6,500-Year-Old Arizona Geoglyph – Older Than Stonehenge
Arizona's 6,500-year-old Las Playas Intaglio, the oldest dated geoglyph in the Americas, was irreparably damaged by border wall construction in April 2026.
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Like how baby ducks imprint on whoever is there when they hatch, but in reverse. They'd be trying to teach us how to be dinosaurs, confused & worried when we don't eat the stuff they regurgitate for us.
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Starfire’s Deranged Neocon Foreign Policy Podcast @irhottakes.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This is good but still presents an implementation challenge because Throw polling at 60% is misleading when Take polls at 5%.
A dog asks his human to throw his ball without taking the ball from him.
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maura quint @mauraquint.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yes every woman has been harassed, many assaulted. But every woman has also experienced invisible loss from moments she avoided harassment. She felt a space becoming unsafe, so she left, while men stayed on. And in leaving, she lost: opportunities, experiences, learning, promotions, even simply fun.
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Paste Magazine @pastemagazine.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Macklemore's "Free Palestine" tour sells out immediately
pastemagazine.com
Macklemore's "Free Palestine" tour sells out immediately
The rapper's three-day tour includes stops in Dublin, Paris, and London, all scheduled for the last week of October.
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I don't know what game this is, but I'd buy it.
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 29/09/2026
🚨 BREAKING: Texas Rep. Gina Hinojosa has filed an official request to inspect unredacted communications between Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and Elon Musk after roughly 1,400 pages released last year were heavily redacted as “intimate and embarrassing.”
Texas State Rep. Gina Hinojosa stands indoors wearing a burgundy blazer and dark top, with campaign signage bearing her name and the outline of Texas visible behind her.Official letter dated September 29, 2026, from Texas State Rep. Gina Hinojosa to Gov. Greg Abbott’s office requesting inspection of unredacted communications between Abbott’s office and Elon Musk and his companies. Hinojosa seeks records previously released with redactions for information deemed “embarrassing” or “intimate,” citing her legislative authority under the Texas Public Information Act.
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This (superb) reporting reveals ASU has basically attempted a full cover-up and the only reason they aren’t going to get away with it is the genuine courage and solidarity of his teammates. Very rare in college sport.
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glacé @glacierrays.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
To reciprocate, one thing I concede America got right is calling the ground floor of a building the 1st floor. There a 3-storey building has 3-levels and the 3rd level is the 3rd floor. Here in the UK the 3rd level is the 2nd floor, like wtf are we doing
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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 26/09/2026
ICE BEHIND THE MASKS HAVE NAMES 2 masked agents threatened to arrest Robert Peck for legally observing them. He sued. “And now, because of a lawsuit, the (ICE) agents have names.” A Hylton 📌Nicholas Lapointe 📌Christopher Semler I hope more people take ICE to court when their rights are violated.
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M. Newton @ridelee.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Oh my god. OH MY GOD. XD
Gul Dukat of Deep Space Nine gloweringGavin Newsome of California glowering.
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Kimberley Johnson @kimberleyjohnson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
But I need to smile more.
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Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Denmark is trolling Trump.
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Philo of Alexan @philoof.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The folk protest music scene is back
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Abilu Tangwa. @abilutangwa.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Stop calling it a climate problem. Call it what it is: organized greed. The planet isn’t dying. It’s being killed for profit. The killers have names. And boardrooms. #ClimateJustice #StopEcocide
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TW @twesq.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
this is fantastic and I learned something new
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Why aren't dried plums called 'dried plums'? Why can't you buy plum juice, but you can get plum wine? But there's no 'grape wine'? Who decides these things? And raisins are bullshit. #OldFruitIsntCandy #Pregnancy #Prunes
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Both. They aren't mutually exclusive. Young me knew life could be unpredictable but this shit feels pretty impossible.
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
This week there is a beef tomato in my uterus. 🍅
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Pregnancy progress is marked in weeks, & each week they give estimates of fetal development. It feels very weird to me that every single one of these information sources uses PRODUCE as a general size comparison. Why is fetus = fruit?! Fruit sizes can also range wildly, so it's not even helpful!
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Mark Hebden @unionlib.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Scotland: We want to leave the UK BBC: Huh? Wales: We want to leave the UK BBC: What? Northern Ireland: We want to leave the UK BBC: Lolz Some shithole in Oxfordshire: We want to leave the UK because racism BBC: REPORT THE HELL OUT OF THIS #Piddington
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I'm proud that my toddler enjoys both Ms Rachel and Macklemore.
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
No. Could this be it? Somebody in Kansas needs to go find out. We need some clarification.
Screenshot of a Facebook business page showing a small white extension off of a paved driveway with lawn and gravel area with black pathway next to a potted plant. Image was posted by 'Hair Solutions by Sherry' on 28 May 2025 with the caption 'Come visit me.'
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Woke at 4am and realized it's worse. She owns a hair salon: was this "hair path" for business or personal use? Did she sweep, bag up and take home hair for this creative endeavor, or did she think "this is an idea for the public, it will attract customers"? Are salon reviews out there somewhere...
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Chise @sailorrooscout.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
May I remind everyone that there is currently NO cure for rabies. May I also remind everyone there is absolutely NO scientific proof connecting ANY vaccine that we produce today with autism. This is true regarding vaccination in both humans AND in dogs. Vaccinate your pets please.
Worries about vaccination rates in dogs
As rabies seems to be spreading more in wildlife, veterinarians are especially worried about vaccine hesitancy spreading among pet owners, a dangerous trend that could lead to more dogs - and their owners
- becoming infected. A 2023 study published in the journal Vaccine found in nationally representative
sample of Americans that nearly 40% believed canine vaccines were unsafe and 37% believed that vaccines could lead their dogs to develop cognitive issues, such as autism.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13/09/2026
Abdul El-Sayed: "Weijia, with all due respect, this is the third time you've asked about a Twitch streamer ... their whole game is to make us fight culture wars so that we don't pay attention to the fact the president has made $2.2 billion ... "
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Cute Monster Props @cutemonster.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
A week ago at Dragoncon I met Richard Garriott at a panel about his new Ultima game. Long story short he wants to use AI. He already has for concept art and ChatGPT generated fantasy language. I wrote an account with the hope that this could spread to the right people. Please pass this along.
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
We're being told that if we sacrifice the rights of some people, then the rest of us get to keep our rights. We all know that's some BS.
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Tyler, from the Internet (Haunted) @tylerfromtheinternet.com · 13/09/2026
YES THANK YOU SIR I NEED THE REST OF THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW HARD THIS ISN'T JESUS CHRIST
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Hmm. Animalogic conservation expert (Dr. Michael Brown, IUCN's giraffe & okapi specialist) just said his favourite giraffe fact is that they can gestate and lactate at the same time... >sits here breastfeeding while pregnant< ...it's a human fact too. I've got something in common with giraffes.
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
One of my non-adjacent neighbors is blasting 'Come on Eileen' in their garden like its a rock anthem and... why... <checks UK news> oh shit. Well. Hoping it's in support of the Dexys and not the shit barrage.
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Flamingos are one of 3 birds that make milk for chicks. (Pigeon + Emperor penguin) In flamingos, producing the milk - which is bright red- also drains the adult of their pink colour. Chicks beaks don't have the right curve at first, so can't eat the carotenoid shrimps yet. Flamingos are hardcore!
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Maggie Tokuda-Hall @maggietokudahall.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
In 2023, I nearly died when an ectopic pregnancy burst, taking out a corner of my uterus and one ovary with it. I bled 2 liters out internally, and the whole time kept asking am I dying because it FELT like I was dying bc I WAS. It was excruciatingly painful. That's how these people are dying.
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Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 07/09/2026
Jesus Christ: after a recent ruling by the Eighth Circuit that allowed Act 372 to take effect, an Arkansas county has banned all children from checking out any books in the adult section, bringing home any DVDs, or using the self-checkout kiosk in its public libraries.
More recently in Craighead County — symbolically, at least, Ground Zero for the state’s attack on libraries, thanks to Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro) — the library announced several changes to circulation as it relates to minors. In a Facebook post, the library listed a number of changes to library policies, including:

Minors are prohibited from using the self-checkout kiosks;
Children under 13 years old may only check out materials from the designated children’s collection, while minors age 13-17 can only check out from the children or teen sections;
Minors may not check out DVDs at all; and  
Minors are prohibited from entering or purchasing anything from the Friends of the Library Bookstore.
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Damon Young @damonyoung.com.au · 04/09/2026
This Finnish guy has been teaching himself Sumerian, and sent a cuneiform tablet to the British Museum to check his progress. They just emailed him that they've sent him something in the post. I'm now thrilled and excited for a total stranger! Clay tablet mail! www.reddit.com/r/Cuneiform/...
a photo of a hand holding a cuneiform tablet
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
two panel animated meme with left panel showing a character dialing on a phone (meme edit has added "Gender Studies" to the above the number pad) and right panel showing a stone faced animated character with their phone to their ear
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
It's a fucking #ISOPOD! How is *what the actual thing is* not an option?! I have a terrarium full of them! Some species get really colourful and are unbelievably expensive. Yeah, some people call them other names, but what they are is an actual word too! Children's books call them isopods! C'mon!
Screenshot of a mobile quiz question. Text reads : "What do you call the little gray creature (that looks like an insect but is actually a crustacean) that rolls up into a ball when you touch it?" Option in list below read: pill bug, doodle bug, potato bug, roly poly, sow bug, basketball bug, twiddle bug, roll-up bug, wood louse, millipede, centipede, I know what this creature is, but have no word for it, I have no idea what this creature is, other" The last option (other) is selected in red.
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Jasmin🌸 @theboobtaster.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
that’s wild. he’s tanking damage for us.
Hasan Piker has officially surpassed
"Transgender" as the most mentioned culture war issue on Fox News for the month of August.
348 mentions of Trans/Transgender
398 mentions of Hasan Piker
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I tried a new smoothie thing. I liked other juice from the brand. This one is green. Mistakes were made. I have regrets. I don't think there's any fruit in this. It tastes like hosing down a lawnmower. The texture 🤢! I legitimately enjoy the taste of wheatgrass, so this is impressively gross.
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
If you have respect for a person, you shouldn't need to lie about their legacy... cause, nah, that's just not true. Her position on trans rights didn't change until 2013, after she was called out on her unsupportive history. Being honest about those early harms gives credit to the later growth.
Clip of bluesky post with account profile obscured with black scribble, reads: "She recognized that feminist progress is incomplete without full inclusion and stood as an ally to transgender people’s fight for equality. Gloria rejected rigid binaries, choosing instead to build bridges of empathy and coalition across all marginalized identities. (2/3) 16:45 • 3 Sept 2026 • 2 Likes"
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First Mate Meric @piratepasta.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Have you ever met a great dane? They are lapdogs. Very little changed. One big derpy wolf and someone who thought that happy crush was the best feeling ever. (Me. It was ancient me.)
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