Tootfinder

Just finished "The Raven Boys," a graphic novel adaptation of a novel by Maggie Stiefvater (adaptation written by Stephanie Williams and illustrated by Sas Milledge).
I haven't read the original novel, and because of that, this version felt way too dense, having to fit huge amounts of important details into not enough pages. The illustrations are gorgeous and the writing is fine; the setting and plot have some pretty interesting aspects... It's just too hard to follow a lot of the threads, or things we're supposed to care about aren't given the time/space to feel important.
The other thing that I didn't like: one of the central characters is rich, and we see this reflected in several ways, but we're clearly expected to ignore/excuse the class differences within the cast because he's a good guy. At this point in my life, I'm simply no longer interested in stories about good rich guys very much. It's become clear to me how in real life, we constantly get the perspectives of the rich, and rarely if ever hear the perspectives of the poor (same applies across racial and gender gradients, among others). Why then in fiction should I get more of the same, spending my mental bandwidth building empathy for yet another dilettante who somehow has a heart of gold? I'm tired of that.
#AmReading #ReadingNow

A grand jury in Washington
refused Tuesday to indict Democratic lawmakers
in connection with a video in which they urged U.S. military members to resist “illegal orders,”
according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Justice Department opened an investigation into the video
featuring Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and four other Democratic lawmakers
urging U.S. service members to follow established military protocols
and reject …

Grand jury refuses to indict lawmakers over military orders video
A grand jury in Washington has refused to indict Democratic lawmakers in connection with a video in which they urged U.S. military members to resist “illegal orders,” according to a person familiar with the matter. The Justice Department opened an investigation into the video featuring Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and four other Democratic lawmakers urging U.S. service members to follow established military protocols and reject orders they believe to be unlawful. All the l…

Glass half full: Sunset Dunes is no longer the most controversial thing in the Sunset. And with the rain clearing, tomorrow should be a great day to visit!

People will be asking about this article. Some comments follow in a thread.
Economic growth no longer linked to carbon emissions in most of the world, study finds | Fossil fuels | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/…

In break from recent tradition, the Department of Homeland Security will help safeguard the American People by shutting down *.
https://apnews.com/article/homeland-security-shutdown-ice-funding-7bf62bc50ca0a6a6013a714bee2ffdb4

What to know about Homeland Security shutdown starting this weekend
Another shutdown for parts of the federal government is expected this weekend. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire Saturday as lawmakers debate new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. The White House has been negotiating with the Democrats, but the two sides failed to reach a deal by the deadline. Unlike the record 43-day shutdown last fall, the closures will be narrowly confined, as only agencies that are part of Homeland Secu…

I tried to do a longer time lapse video by putting the same cell phone in the window, looking down at the backyard (aka the alley). The goal was to get a full twenty four hour cycle over ten seconds of video. Apparently putting the phone into energy-saver mode was not sufficient. Once it's back up to 100%, maybe I should put it into airplane mode and add a battery pack. 🤷‍♂️

Fill what's empty, empty what's full, scratch where it itches.
-- Alice Roosevelt Longworth

The Justice Department is coming under intense scrutiny from members of Congress in both parties
for allegedly cataloguing the search history of lawmakers who have gone to review the unredacted Epstein files.
Why it matters:
It's a fresh and high-octane scandal for Attorney General Pam Bondi at a time when she is already facing bipartisan heat over her handling of the Epstein matter.
"There is no bottom for the Trump administration," House Minority Lead…

Congress erupts over Trump admin "spying" on Epstein file searches
"This is very serious, and we're not going to let it go," said one House Democrat.

Fed Changes Course
and Takes On Trump’s Political Fight
The Justice Department’s decision to open up a criminal investigation of Jerome H. Powell,
the chair of the Federal Reserve,
is a major escalation in the pressure campaign against the central bank to cut interest rates.
“Trump is now exercising the nuclear option,
so there is no longer a reason for Powell not to speak his mind,”
said Maurice Obstfeld,
a senior fellow at the Peterson Instit…

Fed Changes Course and Takes On Trump’s Political Fight
The Justice Department’s decision to open up a criminal investigation of Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, is a major escalation in the pressure campaign against the central bank to cut interest rates.

Imagine thinking now is the time to remove a protection on freedom of speech on the internet.
https://bsky.app/profile/judiciarydems.senate.gov/post/3m7sjbvhbms2z

Senate Judiciary Democrats 🇺🇸 (@judiciarydems.senate.gov)
Sen. WHITEHOUSE: We finally are moving to file a bipartisan Section 230 repeal bill. Waiting any longer serves no useful purpose.