isotope239 🥸💻🇺🇦😣

I'm an irritated academic who is increasingly dismayed by the general lack of critical thinking skills displayed by the general public in the United States.

Wordpress: https://ruadhgrian.wordpress.com

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Last Notes

2026-10-16 15:44:48 UTC

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Yep, you can point the finger directly at private equity ownership driving up veterinary bills: https://privateequityvet.org/vet-list/
And the same is true of housing and a lot of other sectors. I think private equity should be outlawed.

2026-10-11 12:15:32 UTC

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I desperately wanted a Meccano set (Erector set in the US). And a big 'ol Bowie knife I could strap to my leg. Every year I was told I'd been a good little girl and would get just what I wanted. I'd tear off the wrapping... and there would be yet another doll of some description that I never touched again. Made me a hardened cynic very early on.

2026-07-21 18:55:40 UTC

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I wanted to add an interesting note about the gruesome twosome: both of them are leucistic, that is, they both have some pure white feathers on the undersides of their wings. That's how we've been able to tell them apart from the adults, there's a flash of white each time the youngsters spread their wings.
https://corvidresearch.blog/2014/07/09/crow-curiosities-what-causes-white-feathers/
#Birds #BirdsOfMastodon #Gardening

2026-07-20 18:43:34 UTC

Fledgling crows: Day 35. Only random sightings of the gruesome twosome this week. The parents are keeping them on the go, flying and foraging. Itchy gets tired of waiting for a parent to come by with a snack but Dozy seems content to sit in one spot until the lunch wagon appears. No idea if this happens with crows, but Dozy behaves in a less developed way than Itchy. Itchy is almost a full-fledged crow but Dozy is either under-developed or just plain lazy.
#Birds #BirdsOfMastodon #Gardening

2026-07-20 11:43:54 UTC

So, I passed the UK driving exam last week and thought I'd go onto the GOV.UK website to check progress on receiving my full license. After doing some biometric rigmarole and installing an app that proves I am who I say I am, I discovered that you can't find out the status of your full driving license unless you have your full driving license in hand. Which I don't have, which is why I was wanting to check the status in the first place. <sigh>
#UKPol #Bureaucracy

2026-06-24 08:59:01 UTC

Fledgling crows: Day 9. The more vocal of the two fledglings has taken up temporary residence on the handle of the water pot. This is causing great consternation among the sparrows who live in the hedge; it's hot and they want a drink. The disadvantage to parking on the water pot is that the Mom and Pop flying cafe is all happening on the other end of the garden and his sibling is getting all the meals!
#Birds #BirdsOfMastodon #Gardening
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/804/251/644/400/869/original/ad0a5c482a0841a9.jpg

2026-01-14 19:26:35 UTC

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Ah ha, a kidney stone explains a lot. Will they do the thing where they pulverize it sonically? I've heard about it but haven't talked to anyone who actually had it done.

2026-01-04 17:32:48 UTC

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Apologies to Flip Wilson and Geraldine, but I think the devil made them do it.

2025-10-27 22:03:48 UTC

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I had measles before the vaccines. It gave me lifelong tinnitus and ruined my eyesight. I ran such a high fever that all my hair fell out and I had to wear a little mob cap in third grade. I have never been that sick before or since. Any parent who would put their child through that is an abuser.

2025-10-06 14:59:06 UTC

The US media is having to do some extra heavy lifting to sane-wash this shit: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/05/trump-behavior-online-posts
We've got a crew of unelected bozos on this bus and they're driving us right over a cliff.
#USPol #Trump #Dementia

2025-08-12 16:50:14 UTC

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Not necessarily my favorite book, but it's horrifyingly apt these days: "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." First line of 1984, George Orwell.

2025-08-05 21:27:28 UTC

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The Olympic Committee needs to grow a pair and just cancel the 2028 Olympics altogether. It'd be very difficult for the athletes who are preparing for it, but it's the ethical thing to do. Or simply transfer it to whoever was the runner up in the location competition. Very short notice to prepare, but it'd still be better than inflicting the US on a bunch of innocent people from abroad.

2025-06-28 18:05:28 UTC

What drives me nuts about the manner in which the MSM is hiding the orange moron's mental decline is that it's reasonably easy to spot and people still aren't "getting it". Check the televised MSM; note that they now keep the creature's speaking recordings down to just a second or two, they snag just a brief clip that makes sense. But if you listen for any length of time, it's glaringly obvious: https://open.substack.com/pub/deanobeidallah/p/psychologist-warns-that-corporate?r=1rtvr5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
#Trump #Dementia #USPol

2025-06-18 16:05:46 UTC

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Thing is, I'm pretty sure that the orange moron is in the mid-stages of dementia. He looks and sounds just like my dad did at that point. He falls asleep all the time, he repeats himself, his speech is markedly different than it was even last year. His handlers are propping him up to use almost like a human shield so they (looking at you Stephen Miller) can push through their unelected agenda. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...

2025-06-01 19:54:28 UTC

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Yeah, it'll just be poor 'ol lonely Keith and a billion cockroaches.

2025-06-01 19:52:39 UTC

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It's like RFK Sr. getting assassinated so young while his namesake will probably live to be 100. Given his proclivities, I imagine RFK Jr. is basically pickled and will last forever.

2025-06-01 18:24:19 UTC

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Oh no no, that type always want to be standing well at the back of that particular queue.

2025-06-01 17:54:14 UTC

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Whether it's the UK or the US though, I think the intention is the same. Boys coming up through the ed system should get a chance to find out what they'd be good at and what they actually want to do, set them up for success.

2025-06-01 16:35:40 UTC

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Oh well, we're all gonna die anyway...

2025-05-15 17:51:26 UTC

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The fledglings always look kind of put out and grumpy! Which I guess they are since Mom and Dad are urging them to do a little work and feed themselves!

2025-02-24 20:38:05 UTC

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I love TCM and being able to see the credits is just one of the many reasons why!

2024-12-31 14:39:47 UTC

A pair of rogues watching the waves at Cullen beach with me.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/747/942/809/469/709/original/88481289817bca73.jpg

2024-12-14 15:08:51 UTC

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Oh, you just think it's a xmas tree. Her majesty knows it's a festive cat toy! 🙃

2024-12-11 21:10:02 UTC

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Years ago I was reasonably proficient in French. One time I made the mistake of asking one of my French friends what I sounded like to them and they answered "John Wayne". Ouch!

2024-12-05 15:26:58 UTC

If you're on one of the horrible Medicare "Advantage" health plans, you've got 3 days left to get out and back onto regular Medicare: https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-medicare-advantage-trap-what-1fc?r=1rtvr5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
#Medicare #Healthcare #Scam

2024-11-20 18:58:07 UTC

JoJo nails it as usual. https://open.substack.com/pub/jojofromjerz/p/americans-are-afraid-to-get-pregnant?r=1rtvr5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
#GOP #Abortion #Childless

2024-11-16 10:05:59 UTC

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It's my personal opinion that "Time Out" is the coolest song ever recorded. It just exudes cooliocity with every note. Just listening to it makes you cool.

2024-11-14 16:58:02 UTC

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Aw heck, go ahead and get into some trouble... as long as it's good trouble!

2024-11-11 17:48:26 UTC

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That's my baseline: basic civil rights, a living wage, and everyone (as in EVERYONE no matter how rich you are) is equal under the law. Cherry on top would be that no matter what church you attend or whether you attend no church at all, you keep your nose out of everyone else's private (legal) business.

2024-10-31 19:18:25 UTC

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My mom wanted one super-power; when she pointed her finger at someone horrible, they would instantly vanish and all trace of their existence would also be magically erased... except from her memory so she could savor their absence. I think about that every time I accidentally catch a glimpse of that nasty orange bottom feeder.

2024-10-20 13:56:09 UTC

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I posted this in another thread.
I might point out here that inappropriate sexual behavior can often be a symptom of middle stage dementia: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4980403/
His minders need to get him on the correct meds ASAP.

2024-10-17 15:41:28 UTC

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I might add that, in many instances, abortion is a case of life or death for the pregnant person.

2024-10-17 15:39:42 UTC

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Buttigieg is one of the best communicators I've ever heard, he always nails the point perfectly. The bottom line here is that it is nobody's business WHY a person might decide to have an abortion at any point during their pregnancy. There should be no more blame or shame in the decision than there is for a person having any sort of medical procedure. Do we ask heart patients WHY they're getting a shunt or a pace maker? Or WHY someone is getting an appendectomy? Not. Our. Business.

2024-10-08 00:04:23 UTC

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I just hate when that happens. You find someone who is good at what they do, you also get along with them... then they retire or move.

2024-10-06 21:22:37 UTC

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... and spotted the cougar. I've never seen a group of people go so stone silent so rapidly. It's also amazing how quiet people can be while walking quickly when they concentrate. I watched the cougar for a little while longer (it was napping off lunch, the remains of which were above it in the tree), then made my way back to the car.

2024-10-06 21:20:28 UTC

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A few years ago I was hiking in the Gila Wilderness. My path ended in the forestry road back to the car park, so I stood for a moment just having a look around and spotted a cougar snoozing soundly about 30ft up in the tree across the road. Just then, a noisy group appeared coming down the road. As they came even with me, I caught one's eye and made the universal shhhh gesture, then pointed up the tree. The whole group looked up as one...

2024-10-05 14:32:51 UTC

I often wonder why some people hoard money to the extent that they impoverish others. Kurt Vonnegut wrote a poem about this: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7345831-joe-heller-true-story-word-of-honor-joseph-heller-an
Really, what is "enough"? Why would anyone need a huge house(s) or multiple yachts? Why would a sane person continue to pursue obscene wealth to the point that they endanger all life including themselves through climate change? We need to eliminate billionaires then get them some serious mental health support.
#EatTheRich #Inequality

2024-10-03 23:43:43 UTC

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I feel your pain; I retired last year after teaching for a state university for almost 40 years. My main subject was networking infrastructure and my main course had two required research papers in the curriculum. The overall quality of the writing for those papers took a fairly sharp drop in quality when ChatGPT appeared. Students would often purchase the textbook only in the final week of class before taking the final. And don't get me started on simple grammar...

2024-10-02 14:12:06 UTC

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At this point, I reckon we have to assume that if a repuglican said it, it's a lie. They all know that while the general US public is pretty low-information, they do hear bits and pieces and voters really do not like most of the repuglican policies i.e. Project 2025. So they lie. Vance said the quiet part out loud a few days ago, they'll say whatever they think will get them elected. Vote Blue up and down the ticket and flush the fascists down the toilet.

2024-09-28 22:20:10 UTC

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If your vote didn't matter, the domestic terrorists wouldn't be working so hard to keep you from doing it.

2024-09-28 20:42:56 UTC

When I think of all the people who could be helped by the amount of money these people spent on a vanity project, I just can't feel very sympathetic to their fate. If they'd just paid that money in taxes on their wealth, they'd be alive to complain about it today and could still afford their yachts.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgn39epv85o
#WealthInequality

2024-09-16 20:12:49 UTC

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Ah ha! In that case: Fucked Up Beyond All Repair, supposedly originated by the US Army as an acronym signifying something that had gone horribly wrong.

2024-09-16 19:49:09 UTC

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Interesting that FUBAR isn't on the list, I suppose everyone already knows what it means!

2024-09-16 18:45:32 UTC

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A lot of hearing aids cost more than that. The last time we took my dad in for new hearing aids, the kind that actually help him (not just making sounds louder) cost $7000 and that's not including all of the special tinkering the audiologist has to do to fine tune the things.

2024-09-14 18:45:03 UTC

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And a gimp suit...

2024-09-14 12:31:36 UTC

Taylor Swift is absolutely right, it's crucial that we get as many people as possible registered to vote. In many cases, that may not be as simple as you'd think, depending on where you live.
https://therickwilson.substack.com/p/threats-to-free-and-fair-elections
#Election #2024Election #VoteBlue

2024-09-05 17:11:59 UTC

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Pro tip: if the guy who delivers your monthly paycheck is named Boris Badenov, you are very likely on the Russian payroll. And you are a traitor!

2024-08-31 15:36:34 UTC

It's an absolutely perfect Saturday afternoon just outside of Portsoy. #Scotland
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/057/368/804/501/752/original/b6feaf5c516261f4.jpg

2024-08-18 00:52:10 UTC

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I just hope the head likes the taste of pee...

2024-08-16 21:30:06 UTC

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Just a quick aside, the US and NZ are the only two countries in the world that allow Big Pharma to advertise on TV. This type of advertising (obviously) drives consumer demand which in turn guarantees big profits: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5951249/
Once Harris gets in, I hope she manages to also boot Big Pharma off the TV so that people aren't barraged with a bunch of stuff that should just be discussed with their doctor.

2024-08-10 14:03:56 UTC

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It's just another example of the MAGAt schoolyard mentality. Since MAGA is basically just a front for the interests of the morbidly wealthy, it's got no genuine policies to run on so the best they can do is try to come up with some mud to sling around. Unfortunately for them, they're having trouble finding any decent mud to sling! MAGA's idea of a debate is 'I know you are, but what am I?' 🤨

2024-08-03 22:14:24 UTC

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I know that several of my adult students (~ 40+) have gotten the Shingrex, so at least in NM (US) Walgreens doesn't seem to be too picky. Speaking for myself, I had chicken pox as a kid, pre-vaccine, so I know I'm a candidate for getting shingles.

2024-08-03 20:09:41 UTC

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At least in NM, you can schedule a shingles vaccination at any Walgreens, I got mine last year. When I was filling out the form to schedule the shots, I didn't see any questions about age so I'm not sure if it's seniors only.

2023-09-20 19:51:50 UTC

Words to live by: http://web.mit.edu/~yandros/poetry/deteriorata
Especially "The universe is laughing at you behind your back"...
#Philosophy

2023-08-30 14:43:58 UTC

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I'm not very showy but functional, much like this little bowl that I made back when I was running my own pottery. Very satisfying pastime, making pottery!
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/110/979/093/819/082/348/original/86c0c46689f5e46a.jpg