[W]e’re living in a civilization that doesn’t understand metaphor. So they tend to concretize everything, and not even know that that’s going on.~Marion Woodman

Actress Mimmi Lähteenoja plays Louhi in the Finnish theatre.

In Finnish folklore, Louhi (also called "Loviatar") was originally a goddess of death and disease, ruler of the underworld and mother of wolves. However, in the "Kalevala," Louhi is instead a powerful evil witch who rules the northern realm of Pohjola, and is a master shapeshifter.
#WyrdWednesday

If you don't believe that magical places still exist, I ask that you simply walk into your local independent bookstore.

This is your kid's brain on AI slop “It’s toddler AI misinformation at an industrial scale. It’s very risky for the developing brain.”

Videos about vowels that include visuals of consonants. Butchered state names like Ribio Island, Conmecticut, Oklolodia. Characters changing in every frame.

AI slop is all over the internet—and preying on your kids.

Just as light destroys darkness by its very presence, so does the absolute destroy imagination. To see that all knowledge is a form of ignorance is itself a movement of reality.

The philosopher Plotinus suggested that while the body favors a straight line, the soul hankers for the circle. This mythic, circular time, (which is really no kind of time at all) laughs at the straight line and the alarm clock.~Dr. Martin Shaw, 𝘈 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦

Today I migrated Mastodon instances for the second (or is it third?) time. Partly because I think indieweb.social fits my current vibe. But mainly because universeodon.com refused to connect correctly to Micro.blog for cross-posting. Alas, you can now find me at @luxorator.

Trump Officials Attended a Summit of Election Deniers Who Want the President to Take Over the Midterms The meeting’s participants included Kurt Olsen, a White House lawyer charged with reinvestigating the 2020 election, and Heather Honey, the Department of Homeland Security official in charge of electi...

“The same people who tried to overturn the 2020 election have only grown better organized and are now embedded in the machinery of government,” one legal expert said about a meeting of election deniers held last week.

By @dougbockclark.bsky.social

The President has launched our nation and our great military into a war of choice, risking American lives and resources, ignoring American law, and endangering our allies and partners. It does nothing to help with the urgent problems here at home that Americans face every day.

New project completed. Officially cut the cord from DreamHost and moved my WordPress install into a Docker container on my Mac. Running it through Cloudflare. Self-hosting is kind of addicting. Definitely not watching the State of the Union tonight…

loved every second of Bad Bunny. That message of inclusion and a celebration of cultures like Puerto Rico’s is just what America needs right now. Plus, his music just gets you in motion. 10/10

Remember that your energy is your inventory. It’s finite, precious, and if you’re prone to burnout like me, you are probably bad at conserving it. Our nervous systems are not all created with equal capacity. “Toughing it out” may in the end be counterproductiv... https://tycrisp.com/2026/02/07/5533/

I firmly believe the Democrats’ demands for ICE reform are not just reasonable, but essential for further funding of ICE. So much so, that any future monetary contributions from me for the Democrat Party and candidates hinges on their continued insistence on those reforms. NO COMPROMISE whatsoever.

Trump just got more desperate as you see in his posts this AM demanding the GOP pass "voter reform." Trump will do everything he can to rig and/or prevent the 2026 election. We need to be on even higher alert--as does every Democratic Attorney General and voting rights organizations.

More people voted in New York City’s election this year than they have in 50 years.

That’s a win for democracy, and a testament to @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social's inspiring campaign.

Congratulations to the next mayor of the greatest city in the world. 🗽

The oligarchy came out in full force against Zohran Mamdani's fight for a more affordable NYC.

It didn't matter.

Let his victory in the face of Big Money serve as a reminder that people have the power.

If it really takes “weeks or months” to comply with this court order, it will be because the admin is so full of incompetent lackeys.

THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN 12 SEATS FLIPPED BY DEMOCRATS IN THE VA HOUSE TONIGHT

Congratulations to all the Democratic candidates who won tonight. It’s a reminder that when we come together around strong, forward-looking leaders who care about the issues that matter, we can win. We’ve still got plenty of work to do, but the future looks a little bit brighter.

“I’m about to leave the world with all the mess, whereas young people have to grow up into it. If they succumb to the doom and gloom that’s the end. If you don’t hope you sink into apathy; hope is a crucial way to get through this.” 💬 Jane Goodall

Colbert's cancellation is a dark warning CBS's decision marks a dangerous new stage for the culture at large.

Jimmy Kimmel's sudden suspension escalates what @inaeoh.bsky.social warned was a dramatic shift in Trump's ability to take down our actual culture.

"The TV, art, movies, music that, no matter how much Trump had complained in his first term, remained protected and free-willed."

Silly Jimmy Kimmel. He should have just called for all homeless people to be killed and he’d still have a job.

The UK fired their ambassador to the US over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Meanwhile, Epstein’s best friend remains the President of the United States.

The president went on TV to attack political opponents and blame them for the killing of Charlie Kirk, even though we don’t know who shot him.

If there is anything this man can do to worsen the situation, he will do it. Despicable.

“THIS IS WAR”: Some right-wing figures call for retribution following Kirk killing “More people will be murdered if the Left isn’t crushed with the power of the state.”

We documented some of the calls for retribution that followed Charlie Kirk’s murder. With @kieraevebutler.bsky.social and @juliannemcshane.bsky.social www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

“THIS IS WAR”: Some right-wing figures call for retribution following Kirk killing “More people will be murdered if the Left isn’t crushed with the power of the state.”

“THIS IS WAR.”
“Civil war.”
“The Left is the party of murder.”
“The Left won’t stop unless it’s forced to.”

Influential figures across the right have decided to use Charlie Kirk’s death to promote their fantasies of war and retribution against Democrats and leftists.

Doesn’t deploy federal troops to stop a Capitol invasion or save children from a Texas flood or clean up debris from a StL tornado.

Deployed federal troops to disperse people in sleeping bags.

Got it.

Understand that Trump voters will see every House seat Trump steals via gerrymandering as a legitimate MAGA gain, and every House seat Republicans *lose* through gerrymandering as "stolen."

The effect of this is that there's a good chance Trump orders Mike Johnson to not accept the midterm results.

“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.” 💬 Frédéric Bastiat

Our neighbor to the North is lead by a brilliant economist, who is tough, but fair and decent.

Our neighbor to the South is lead by a brilliant engineer, who is tough, but fair and decent.

We are run by a total ignoramus who is flawed in every way a human being can be & is destroying our country.