iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

There are two bunnies that live at the top of the hill, and I assume this is an artistic rendering of them:

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Having watched Maximilian, I can add: 4. Maximilian I

Jannis Niewöhner as Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Saw these in a gift shop and was tempted!:

Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams (the lead actors from *Heated Rivalry*) on votive candles.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Sunflowers in my neighborhood:

Sunflowers by a pale blue and purple house.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

The thing is, Lis Smith is a veteran of smearing women who call out sexual assault. She once called Christine Blasey Ford "looney tunes":

In their private conversations, some advisers were even harsher about the accusers and others than they were publicly. At one point, Smith shared a tweet reporting that Charlotte Bennett, who accused the governor of harassment, had retained the former lawyer for Christine Blasey Ford, who had accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her.

“Christine Blasey Ford was looney tunes and the height of me too overreach so this checks out,” Smith said

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I just happened on this photo, which is labeled, "l-r Sidney Jones, chairman of West Lancs council, Mr A Hare and Colin Pickthall MP in 2000."

Two British politicians with a giant rabbit in between.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

This is the paragraph that made me go 🤔:

A major life insurer insolvency is uncharted territory. “We’ve been very lucky, I think, that there’s been no major insurer insolvencies that have had to be mediated through the guaranty fund system, because there’s kind of an open question as to if this is even logistically possible to do,” Granato said. He noted that AIG, the insurer that collapsed after the 2008 crisis, was saved by quick action by the Fed and later Congress. “If AIG had been allowed to go under and then we would have had to manage 50 simultaneous AIG insolvencies across every state, in the middle of the financial crisis?” he asked. “You can imagine what a nightmare that would be.”

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

I rarely comment on fashion but I keep thinking about this Dua Lipa look from a few weeks ago.

Dua Lipa in a white tank top and white jeans, outside Electric Lady studios.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Saw a bunny on a neighborhood walk yesterday.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Nice rainbow the other day, my second sighting this Pride month:

Rainbow spilling from the clouds in Williston, VT.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

this state is pretty even when it is overcast

White Adirondack chairs facing Lake Champlain, with the Green Mountains in the distance.

View from one small peninsula on the Champlain Islands to the next.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Also seen in my neighborhood:

A picture in sidewalk chalk of a bird, which is labeled "Peent."

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Went to see a film yesterday and took some pictures of the flora lining the route.

A pink bush in full bloom, in front of a brick façade.

White trees on the road to Lake Champlain.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

I read the first one of these, The Verifiers, and am now on the sequel. I still can't tell if they are somewhat naive on the subject of AI, or really quite clever at conveying what is creepy about it.

Cover for Jane Pek's *The Verifiers* with a drawing of an Asian woman in black stepping onto the Brooklyn Bridge.

Cover for Jane Pek's *The Rivals* with a drawing of an Asian woman on what looks like the High Line.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Um. Do they simply refuse to accept the worst case scenario?

A recent internal assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency that was circulating inside the Pentagon in recent weeks determined that Iran could potentially keep the passage shut for anywhere from one to six months, four sources familiar with the document told CNN. But White House and Pentagon officials insisted that the assessment - particularly the longer end timeframe, which some consider a worst case scenario - was not being seriously considered.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had not seen it, and Trump has not been briefed on it, nor was he using it to inform his policy decisions, one seniorWhite House official said.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

As I mentioned, the 302 where she is talking about the threatening phone call has a weird redaction. "The last call that" she "characterized as threatening occurred in approximately December or January [redacted]." December or January what?

The last call that [redacted] characterized as threatening occurred in approximately December or January [redacted], while [redacted] was working at [redacted]. A co-worker received a message on their work landline that was intended for [redacted]. The man on the message stated that he was.... [trails off]

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

At least, a bunch of what she says about Epstein matches other records. An interesting point is that she gives a window into the origin of his fortune, and fills in some gaps in the public picture of him. Her account dates from soon after he left Bear, Stearns:

At one point, her mother became aware that Epstein had nude photos of the teen from their sexual encounters and was demanding money to keep them hidden, the woman told the FBI. The victim said she had seen the photographs in his bedstand, leading to a violent encounter when he discovered her snooping.
She said his extortion demand caused her mother to steal funds from her real estate company.
Epstein had departed investment and trading company Bear Stearns in 1981 after an internal investigation of his trading practices. Around the time of the allegations, he was operating a company he founded in New York. Epstein worked as a troubleshooter for wealthy clients, advising them on issues like corporate embezzlement and offering investment strategies.
The alleged victim said her mother’s boss — the Epstein associate from Ohio — and his company accountant helped the mother fix the books so she could pay off Epstein. The alleged victim told agents that the episode was so stressful her mother began drinking again. Her mother later went to prison near Columbia, the woman told agents.
Records confirm that her mother was implicated in such a crime around this time.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

A detail I found interesting was that she said one of the threatening phone calls was from a person calling himself "either Kevin or Keith" - my mind went to Keith Schiller, the Trump Org's head of security. Although of course that is a slim reed, as far as evidence goes.

The last call that [redacted] characterized as threatening occurred in approximately December or January [year redacted], while [redacted] was working at [redacted]. A co-worker received a message on their work landline that was intended for [redacted]. The man on the message stated he was...

...either Kevin or Keith, and that he was calling from [redacted] doctor's office to check on her. [Redacted] only listened for a second, and did not hear the entire message. [Redacted] doctor had no idea where she worked and would never have called to check on her. [Redacted] stated she told her daughter about the call, and her daughter subsequently called the doctor in an attempt to confirm the call to [redacted]. The doctor's office stated they did not call to check on [redacted]. [Redacted] told her boss she had to take her daughter and leave immediately. [Redacted] believed the incident to be threatening and related to EPSTEIN and/or his associates. [Redacted] stated under her breath that if it was not EPSTEIN, maybe it was the "other one". When asked the identity of the "other one", [redacted] stated, "Trump."

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Le Monde using that great verb "limoger" to describe what happened to Kristi Noem. Limoger, as in sent to Limoges, well away from the front lines.

French text: "Kristi Noem, la ministre de la sécurité intérieure, limogée par Donald Trump"

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Thinking of this, I looked up some of the records I have of my farmer grandfather. He appears in the Ireland census of 1911, at age 11, as a farmer's son who can read and write. What I noticed about the record this time was the "Particulars as to Marriage" section, for his parents:

"Particulars as to Marriage": part of 1911 Ireland census, showing a marriage that has lasted 29 years, producing 14 children, 12 still living.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

I went to the State House the other day.

Gold-domed State House in Montpelier, VT.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Was reminiscing the other day about how beautiful the Mount Holyoke library is. I went to a different nearby college and always hopped on the bus over there when I needed a serene place to think.

Gorgeous wooden rafters and decorated windows in the Mount Holyoke library.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Nice nod to Sollenberger in the Josh Marshall piece about the missing files:

Last point, but in a way the one I most want to share with you. This story has now been picked up in Times, NPR and, after yesterday, a bunch of other publications. But the guy who found it was Roger Sollenberger, who used to work at Daily Beast but has been an independent for a while. I don’t know Sollenberger personally and I don’t follow his work that closely. But again and again, though not that frequently, he comes up with pretty big stories. He’s also the guy who came up with the various scandals tied to Rep. Corey Mills and the crazy accommodations he had in DC. It’s an example of how really, really big stories can be unearthed by solo operators without the heft and legions of reporters they have at places like the Times.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Litman also points out that this individual's testimony was used in the case against Maxwell, and sees it as significant that the estate settled with her:

Now, what the NPR story also indicates is this individual made a similar allegation in lawsuits against Epstein in 2019; that this information was in the information that was relevant to Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial and is indeed with the Maxwell trial team; that, again, the FBI interviewed this individual multiple times and the Epstein estate settled with them.

So those are all indications that what this individual said was credible enough that it became incorporated into a criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell—that the DOJ deemed it credible enough that law enforcement, the FBI, deemed it credible enough to interview them multiple times, and that the Epstein estate settled with them. So those are all indications that this is a serious allegation, and the allegation itself is, of course, appalling.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Wait, the NYT reported that she dropped her claim, but apparently she got a settlement anyway:

Many victims of Epstein received money from a compensation program created after his death. The program operated independently of the estate, and its administrator evaluated claims based on a series of factors including, credibility, degree of harm and age of the survivor. The fund reported making payments to 135 women.
Jane Doe 4 who sued over Epstein’s alleged abuse in Hilton Head was deemed ineligible by the program, according to court documents, though the reason is unclear.
“I have my reservations about how the funding committee handled most of those,” Fudali said, referring to the victim’s compensation fund. “We were able to get money directly from the estate without having to go further into litigation.”
Jane Doe 4 voluntarily dismissed her claims with prejudice, relinquishing her ability to bring the legal action again. Fudali would not disclose the amount she received from the estate and rebuffed a request from The Post and Courier to speak with her.
“Most of them are staying quiet,” he said, referring to the victims. “Even though Epstein has been dead for almost a decade, most of them continue to live in fear.”

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Lake Champlain is currently frozen.

Two people standing on a frozen Lake Champlain.

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

By the way, this is the email in the Epstein files where Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger Jr. is mentioned in connection with the Shitty Media Men list:

From Michael Wolff to Jeffrey Epstein: "And they won't be the last. My buddy, Lorin Stein, who runs the Paris Review--the Paris Review for god's sake--just went down. The 80-year-old-father of my friend Rachel Horovitz--the playwright Horovitz--whacked. Big names on the horizon: Michael Douglas, Larry Gagosian, and still my favorite, Arthur Sulzberger."

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annec @queencityac.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

There is a much earlier email, from 2010, where an assistant or friend of Epstein is talking about Sulzberger attending some event he's organizing - involving "people you can trust not to gossip," where Ghislaine is going to "fluff everyone up." Presumably as part of his rehabilitation tour.

Email to Epstein says: Sulzberger. Zuckerman. Rose. Mitchell prob busy but good catch. Any NY establishment people you need to win back. But must be people you can trust not to gossip. Ghislaine fluff everyone up.

Epstein replies: Rose?

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