Alex Jeffrey Pretti was an ICU nurse at a VA hospital. His life, through his profession, was dedicated to serving his community and our country.

As so many have now seen on video, his final act before he was killed by federal agents was doing everything in his power to protect his community.

Maps: Where Do Federal Employees Work in America? (Gift Article) Before the Trump administration’s cuts, members of the civilian federal work force were in every state and in thousands of the nation’s cities and small towns.

Trump and his cronies peddle the myth we’re “Washington bureaucrats.”

But 85% of federal workers live outside D.C.

We help vets in Phoenix, inspect meat in Iowa, fight fires in Montana, and run weather models in Oklahoma.

We work for all Americans, every day.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The coordinating committee of Defend Public Health, an all-volunteer network of physicians and other healthcare workers, scientists and public health advocates, issued the following statement in response to today's U.S. Senate vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services: "The Senate today confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the most unqualified person ever chosen to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, but the fight to preserve and expand compassionate, science-based health policy does not end with his confirmation: This fight has only begun. We hope Mr. Kennedy will reconsider his embrace of disinformation and conspiracy theories, but if he follows through on the ideas he's embraced in recent years, many will suffer and die, and the senators who voted to confirm him will have blood on their hands.

"The HHS secretary represents just one piece of a very large federal health and research apparatus. The Trump administration has been attacking science, hiding data and destroying compassionate, life-enhancing public health policies on many fronts, and we will continue to oppose these potentially deadly actions every way we can.

The Coordinating Committee of Defend Public Health has released the following statement about the confirmation of RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary.

Save Foreign Aid Elon Musk reportedly spent $40 million dollars on #Superbowl ads calling #USAID wasteful. Here are just a few ways we would’ve spent $40M: 🏈Purchased life-saving HIV treatment from American pharmaceutical companies to keep 1,060,000 million people alive for one year 🏈Bought enough emergency food aid products made in Rhode Island and Georgia to treat 800,000 severely malnourished children 🏈Slowed the flow of migrants to our borders by providing job training to 50,000 people in Central America 🏈Protected 30,000,000 football fields of tropical forest in Africa, preventing China and Russia from exploiting timber and critical minerals that fuel our world 🏈Saved the lives of 25 million children suffering from severe malaria. We think this one has value on its own but maybe Musk would disagree This Super Bowl Sunday, tell Congress to #saveforeignaid and #standwithUSAID

Elon Musk has reportedly spent $40M on a series of Superbowl ads airing tonight attacking USAID's "wasteful spending." We may not have millions of dollars but between all of us, we do have a massive global network.

Here are just a few ways USAID could have spent $40M:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=PqUE...

Tech Billionaires Are the New Welfare Queens The only difference is, they’re real.

As we prepare for a stream of Elon propaganda about USAID, a reminder from @profgalloway.com that Elon Musk and and his Tech Bros are the biggest Welfare Queens in America.
#superbowl #welfarequeens #usaid

www.reddit.com/r/fednews/co...

An EEOC admin. judge sent a fiery all-department email this AM alleging:
1. Trump's exec orders & instructions to target private citizens with them are illegal.
2. the judge had sent an earlier email with a similar tone yesterday that later vanished from their sent folder & colleagues' inboxes.

interviewer: can I get your references?

me: *sighing* probably not; nobody else does

Fidgeting at your desk? Your body may be trying to tell you something That spontaneous restless movement plays an important role in our health. Here's what to do the next time you find yourself bouncing your knee or clicking and unclicking your pen.

That spontaneous restless movement plays an important role in our health. Here's what to do the next time you find yourself bouncing your knee or clicking and unclicking your pen.

Costco raises pay above $30 an hour for many, as Teamsters union threatens strike Costco is raising pay for most workers as a Friday night deadline looms on a new contract with its unionized employees.

Good on Costco, I mean the unions can be threatening and that's what they are for

www.npr.org/2025/01/31/n...

Can you spare a minute to help this campaign? Protect Federal Employees from OPM’s Chaos

Please sign and share, protect OPM

chng.it/Q4vm8rJNMX

Small plane crashes near Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia in fiery explosion There were reportedly six people on board, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Another plane crash
abcnews.go.com/US/philadelp...

Brain doc thoughts: the cognitive assessment required to be an FAA personnel is so rigorous and demanding it has its own standards, regulations, and required measures. What was said in the wake of tragedy is not only severely disrespectful to the passengers and families but to the FAA/pilots

Thank you. It is the only thing keeping me sane

All of your creative friends wish you would stop interfacing with AI entirely

Costco's shareholders overwhelmingly reject anti-DEI proposal Costco's shareholders voted overwhelmingly to reject a motion that would seek report on the risks of diversity, equity and inclusion in the company's hiring practices.

Costco’s shareholders voted overwhelmingly to reject a proposal from a conservative think tank aimed at getting the company to roll back its diversity hiring practices.

Stick with us: Why the internet is obsessed with one of the simplest tools known to man "Stick Nation" is a worldwide movement that thrives on irreverent, fantastical and downright wholesome descriptions of sticks.

"Stick Nation" is a worldwide movement that thrives on irreverent, fantastical and downright wholesome descriptions of sticks.

I need some hope

Line charts showing decline in cardiovascular disease death rate since 1950 in the US, France, UK and Italy.

Cardiovascular disease mortality has declined in many countries over the past decades.

For example, US cardiovascular disease death rates have declined 4x since 1950.

NIH appears to have canceled/postponed all of its study sections—the independent review panels that approve federal grants for health research.

Such grants fund the work/salaries of 300k people at more than 2,500 institutions

Called it

A crowd of marchers in front of the Washington Monument

Just two days before President-elect Trump’s inauguration, thousands of people attended the People’s March across Washington to rally against his hard-right plans for the country and show support for causes like racial justice, immigration and gun violence prevention. nyti.ms/3PE798z

Back in 2020, Cheesus signed an EO banning TikTok from the US, calling it a security threat.
Truth was that he was upset over videos being posted on TikTok about him.

Now he’s going to be seen as the one to save it.

Democrats, be smarter.
www.npr.org/2020/08/06/9...

What a stunt when it gets unblocked

So I've been dissociating in stardew valley and plan to this whole weekend. Any tips for #stardewvalleyexpanded ?

a man in a suit and tie is standing in front of a sign that says #arcane ALT: a man in a suit and tie is standing in front of a sign that says #arcane

How I'm feeling as a scientist being tapped for a project

So is there an academic bluesky?

Personally I am of the opinion that video games rot your brain. However, so does everything else. In fact, everything else is worse. Video games actually are the slowest means towards your inevitable and total brain rot.

Happy Valen-times day!

My husband has gone to sleep