September is Suicide Prevention Month. In 2023, 58% of all gun deaths in the U.S. were suicides, 27,310 lives.
Librarian, theater-lover, reader.
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September is Suicide Prevention Month. In 2023, 58% of all gun deaths in the U.S. were suicides, 27,310 lives.
Mike Johnson is such a smarmy liar.
Pips - faster than last week on the hard puzzle Pips #12 Hard π΄ 2:30
Got purple first, but I was actually stumped on the last category until the reveal. Connections Puzzle #810 πͺπͺπ¨πͺ πͺπͺπͺπͺ π¨π¨π¨π¨ π¦π¦π¦π¦ π©π©π©π©
This is truly one of the best illustrations of what is happening in America.
#NYTConnections Lucked up on that one. Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #340 π‘π‘π‘π‘ π£π£π£π£ π’π’π’π΅ π’π’π’π΅ π’π΅π’π΅ π’π’π’π’ π΅π΅π΅π΅
Minneapolis resident Pat Scallen raced toward the Annunciation Catholic School shooting, comforted terrified children, one shot in the head begging, βPlease just hold my handβ. abcnews.go.com/amp/US/minne...
βIs the federal government saying that a disaster case manager canβt even advise someone where to get help if they are undocumented or their family is? Is that really what weβve come to?β wapo.st/3HBdAJc
bsky.app/profile/juan...
A months-long investigation estimates that the profits from the Trump family's ventures in private clubs, hotels, golf courses, crypto currencies, NFTs, and other businesses has raised Trumpβs net worth by billions of dollars.
@cbseveningnews.bsky.social Reporter's Notebook: What should have been a time of backpacks, new uniforms and learning at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis now also reminds a generation that school can be a place of danger. Here's @jdickerson.bsky.social #EndGunViolence
remember folks, we cant have gun restrictions because if we do the federal government will occupy our streets, imprison people without due process, ship dissidents to foreign gulags and things of that nature
Oh, yes! Can't wait!
This interview, which is also available to listen to as a podcast, provides a useful overview of some of the dangerous trends weβve been seeing in recent months regarding federalization and militarization of state and local police functions.
Pips - best solve time for a hard puzzle yet! Pips #11 Hard π΄ 2:36
Better with Sports Connections, which is rare. Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #339 π΅π΅π΅π΅ π’π’π’π’ π‘π‘π‘π‘ π£π£π£π£
#NYTConnections Connections Puzzle #809 π©π¨π¦π© πͺπ¨π¨πͺ π¨π¨π¨π¨ π©π©π©π© π¦π¦π¦π¦ πͺπͺπͺπͺ
Shuler: Thirteen billionaires in one pictureβfour of whom now run agencies of our federal government. If youβve ever met someone who says the word βoligarchyβ is too confusing or too complicated, well, you can explain it with that one photo.
RFK and the wacky zealots who surround him are endangering the nationβs health and future well being. MRNA vaccines are safe and effective - full stop. Kennedy must resign if the nation is to be safe.
π₯π
I know one thing for certain. If Joseph Robinette Biden said "you know, the EU leadership call me the President of Europe," he'd have been removed from office the same day. And it's probably not the dumbest thing Taco said in the last 24 hours.
We can't allow ourselves to become numb to mass shootings. What happened today in Minneapolis is heartbreaking, and Michelle and I are praying for the parents who have lost a child or will be sitting at their hospital bedside after yet another act of unspeakable, unnecessary violence.
π
And Pips. Which I am enjoying. Pips #10 Hard π΄ 3:41
Regular game was better. Connections Puzzle #808 π©π©π©π© π¨π¨π¨π¨ πͺπ¦πͺπ¦ π¦π¦π¦π¦ πͺπͺπͺπͺ
#NYTConnections Yikes! This was tough. Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #338 π‘π‘π‘π‘ π£π’π’π’ π£π’π’π’ π£π’π’π’ π£π΅π΅π΅
"YOU'VE BEEN DRAFTED"
Last week Trump said he likes the idea of starting a war so he can declare βno more electionsβ and stay in office forever. Today he just said βa lot of peopleβ want βa dictator.β See where this is going?
βThe same group of people thatβs being displaced now could be on their ninth, tenth, twelfth, displacement,β Rocap says. βIt doesnβt change anything. It just makes it harder for outreach workers to find people and build relationships with people.β www.washingtonian.com/2025/08/25/t...
Thank you John Roberts and SCOTUS. Look what you've done for us.
They will tell us all about it in two weeks.
There have been 30 officer involved shootings this year to date by Los Angeles Police Department officers. Last year at this date there had been 19.
Charles Borges, Social Security Administrationβs chief data officer and whistleblower, said that DOGE team members uploaded a database with the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans to a vulnerable cloud server. Free π www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/u...
Moodys chief exonimist says 22 states are already in recession. Trumpβs tarrifs are to blame. qz.com/moodys-chief...
Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #337 π‘π‘π‘π‘ π£π£π£π£ π’π΅π’π’ π’π’π΅π’ π’π’π’π’ π΅π΅π΅π΅ Getting purple helped, because I really had no knowledge of the blue or the green categories.
#NYTConnections I did much better on Pips today than last week. Pips #9 Hard π΄ 3:59 Connections Puzzle #807 π¨π¨π¨π¨ π©π©π©π© πͺπͺπͺπͺ π¦π¦π¦π¦
Trumpβs militarization of Los Angeles seems to have been just the start of an authoritarian takeover of American cities. This is not leadership. This is a scary, unlawful grab for power, and we should all be deeply concerned.
Who are you going to believe? The dozens of women who accused Trump of sexual harassment/assault & a jury of his peers who found him liable for sexual abuse, or Ghislaine, the convicted sex trafficking co-conspirator, eager to make a deal for herself to clear Mr. Epstein-Stole-Her-From-Mar-a-Lago?
ββGymβ Jordan vouching for the credibility of Ghislaine Maxwellβ Did no one realize the irony? Or the utter ridiculousness?
When our Christianity makes the ultra wealthy and powerful feel safe and supported and the poor and powerless feel unsafe and unsupported, that is when we can be sure we are following someone other than Jesus.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) canceled a speech in South Carolina on Thursday after just eight people showed up to an event that was billed to have 100-plus people in attendance, local news site has reported.
That was one of the most batshit press conferences of Trump's public life. He brandished a photo of Putin and promised to deploy the US military to occupy Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. A sane country would be moving toward impeachment and removal right now.
Spending all this money to terrorize the public, abuse migrants, & forcibly remove homeless people from their communities. Endless funds for brutality and incarceration, never enough for affordable housing. Somehow, we can always afford the cost to imprison, never to help. 51st.news/national-gua...
Pips - not much different from yesterday, but it felt harder. Pips #5 Hard π΄ 6:33
Really proud of myself for purple today. Not first, but I got it early. Connections Puzzle #803 π¨π¨π¨π¨ πͺπͺπͺπͺ π©π©π©π© π¦π¦π¦π¦
Really proud of myself for purple today. Not first, but I got it early. Connections Puzzle #803 π¨π¨π¨π¨ πͺπͺπͺπͺ π©π©π©π© π¦π¦π¦π¦
I thought I had replied to this, but I don't see it. Apologies if it shows up twice. Not really a fan of season 10 Sam hair, but Jared still looks good.
Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #333 π’π’π’π’ π‘π‘π‘π£ π‘π‘π‘π‘ π£π£π£π£ π΅π΅π΅π΅ Lucked up on the purple category. The placement of the remaining words helped me guess. I would never have gotten blue. No clue about that category.
Lemme reiterate something because it's so crazy. The Democratic state that regulates Palantir - one of the world's largest AI/surveillance companies - is convening an emergency legislative session to try to pass a bill shielding AI giants from consumer protection lawsuits. This is happening TODAY.
This gerrymandering crisis in Texas has its roots in an ideological Supreme Court decision from 2019 and a stolen Supreme Court seat.
#NYTC Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #333 π’π’π’π’ π‘π‘π‘π£ π‘π‘π‘π‘ π£π£π£π£ π΅π΅π΅π΅ I was just guessing on purple, but the remaining clues lined up in a way that made it easier to see.
I'm not really a fan of Season 10 Sam hair, but I still love to look at him.
Here is how the media should be reporting this morning's news. As part of a growing pattern of political retribution, Donald Trump's FBI has raided the home of a prominent administration critic. In this instance it happens to be John Bolton. The pretense is largely irrelevant.
Trump is telling us his plan for 2026. Those of us who care about free and fair elections must take him seriously and literally. We cannot simply bring guns to a gun fight. We need to bring missiles.
Heavens to Betsy! They must be going woke!
And Pips seems to be getting harder . . . Pips #4 Hard π΄ 5:59
I didn't know purple for today until the answer was revealed. Connections Puzzle #802 π¨π¨π¨π¨ π¦π¦π¦π¦ π©π©π©π© πͺπͺπͺπͺ
#NYTConnections Sports Connections - I don't know how I got this. I am totally unfamiliar with the purple and blue categories. Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #332 π΅π΅π‘π΅ π’π’π’π’ π‘π‘π‘π‘ π£π£π£π£ π΅π΅π΅π΅
Polluters broke it, you are paying for it.β£ β£ Despite being the architects of the climate crisis, Oil and gas corporations are not made to contribute anything toward the rebuilding costs after hurricanes, wildfires and droughts. β£ β£β£ Credits: Adrian Raeside cartoon
#NYTConnections Connections Puzzle #801 πͺπ¦π¨π¦ π¨π¨π¨π¨ π¦π¦π¦π¦ πͺπͺπͺπͺ π©π©π©π© Sports Connections - not so good I only got blue and green And the new game, Pips Pips #3 Hard π΄ 2:30
Tomorrow, August 20, Donors Choose will have a 50% match for project donations. Here is a link to my project for adding graphic novels to our library. www.donorschoose.org/project/grea... We would appreciate your support!
And the new game, Pips. Pips #2 Hard π΄ 3:25
So, is the "Pete and Bobby challenge" drink to excess and get a brainworm? No, thanks, I'll pass.
I think most western countries donβt have a housing crisis at all, they have an asset price crisis π and too many people vote like theyβre temporarily disgraced millionaires, rather than to tax wealth hoarders #comic #comics #webcomic
Eked out a solve on Sports Connections, though. I had to guess for the last one in the purple category. Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #330 π‘π‘π‘π‘ π΅π΅π£π΅ π΅π£π΅π΅ π΅π£π΅π΅ π’π’π’π’ π£π£π£π£ π΅π΅π΅π΅
#NYTConnections Was totally on the wrong track on the last categories. The place names threw me off, and I thought "the" was going to be part of a phrase. Connections Puzzle #800 π¨π¨π¨π¨ π©π¦π©π© π©π©π©π© π¦π¦πͺπ¦ π¦π¦πͺπ¦ π¦πͺπͺπ¦
Gracie Allen had a closet of hats on the George Burns and Gracie Allen show. (Very old reference, I know.) That was a funny bit. Trump's hats, not so much.
Tried the new Pips game today. Pips #1 Hard π΄ 2:09
Those words could almost describe his first and second presidency, except for the time-frame.
I know. With Biden, you could see how age was increasing the number of verbal mistakes he would make, but with Trump, there is no "there" there. He's just making stuff up out of the air, or falling back into the same old tired rants.
βPrecisely zero resources β no money, no vacant federal buildings, no housing β have come from the federal government to support moving people inside.β www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/u...
Returning to his slumlord ways.
βIt all comes back to public funding,β said Paul Bowers, a spokesman for the ACLU of South Carolina. βShould we be publicly funding institutions that discriminate? We say no.β www.thestate.com/news/politic...
"Mr. Trump, himself a felon, has shown particular leniency to criminals he seems to identify with β people who are white or wealthy, or who he believes have been unfairly persecuted, or who rioted in his name on Jan. 6, 2021." www.nytimes.com/2025/08/17/u...
With health policy politicized and our government health agencies captured by anti-science loons, itβs been such an honor to be able to elevate voices of *actual* experts in our Meidas Health series on the MeidasTouch Podcast
π‘
If this is what Fox is saying, you know it was a disaster.
#NYTConnections Connections Puzzle #799 π¨π¨π¨π¨ π©π©π©π© πͺπͺπͺπͺ π¦π¦π¦π¦ Squeaked in a Sports Connections solve as well. Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #329 π‘π‘π‘π‘ π’π’π’π£ π’π’π’π£ π’π’π’π’ π΅π΅π£π΅ π΅π΅π΅π΅ π£π£π£π£
#NYTConnections Connections Puzzle #796 π¦π¦π¦π¦ π©π©π©π© π¨π¨π¨π¨ πͺπͺπͺπͺ Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #326 π’π΅π’π’ π’π’π’π’ π‘π‘π‘π‘ π£π£π£π£ π΅π΅π΅π΅
These two things cannot both be true: 1: throwing a sandwich at a federal officer is a violent assault worthy of prosecution. 2: raiding the Capitol grounds, assaulting police offices & vandalizing federal property in an effort to interfere with an election is a harmless protest worthy of pardons.
On Monday, in a Target parking lot in Austin, Texas, 4-year-old Astrid, her grandfather, 64-year-old Adam Chow, and 24-year-old Rosa Martinez Machuca were shot and killed. #EndGunViolence
They shall not grow old As we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, Nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun And in the morning, We will remember Them. π #VJDay #VJDay80 #remembrance #WW2 #Veterans #history
Oh, my heart! Sam after he brought Dean's body back to the bunker. π
@gavinnewsom.bsky.social: "It's the rule of Don, no longer the rule of law. And people need to understand the lines that are being redrawn in Texas are not about party. They're about power. And you've got to meet fire with fire and power needs to be asserted in blue states, not just red states."
Wordle was tough today.
For those keeping track. Trump put himself in charge of the Kennedy Center, then invited himself to host the awards, then told himself he was President and "do I have time?" but humbly accepted the offer from himself before praising himself for honoring himself like no one else would.
#Got Connections Puzzle #794 π¨π¨π¨πͺ π©π©π©π© π¦π¦π¦π¦ π¨π¨π¨π¨ πͺπͺπͺπͺ Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #324 π΅π΅π΅π΅ π’π‘π‘π‘ π‘π‘π‘π‘ π’π’π’π’ π£π£π£π£ Getting blue first helped a lot.
Dolly Parton has sent my daughter a new book every month for years as she does for thousands of children. She help fund the development of the Covid vaccine. Sheβs not a billionaire. I think as non wealthy people itβs hard to even imagine how much billionaires *could* be doing with their money.
YES
#NYTConnections Connections Puzzle #793 π¨π¨π¨π¨ π¦π¦π¦π¦ π©πͺπ©π© π©π©π©π© πͺπͺπͺπͺ Good Sports Connections, too. Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle #323 π’π’π’π’ π΅π΅π΅π΅ π‘π‘π‘π‘ π£π£π£π£
The murder rate is on track to be the lowest in U.S. history due to President Bidenβs executive actions & Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (signed into law on 2022 after Uvalde & Buffalo) that included community violence intervention programs. The Trump administration had nothing to do with it!
We don't need that gaudy gold crap all over everything, either.