Amanda Jene ✦

The administration’s repeated invocation of national decay produced a lugubrious narrative that framed compromise as weakness rather than governance.

Word of the day: illustrative.

The contrasting media treatment of protest movements serves as an illustrative example of how legitimacy is constructed through selective framing rather than formal criteria.

Word of the day: lugubrious.

US officially exits World Health Organization, accusing agency of straying 'from its core mission' The U.S. has officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, HHS and the Department of State announced on Thursday.

"Withdrawing from the World Health Organization is scientifically reckless. It fails to acknowledge the fundamental natural history of infectious diseases. Global cooperation is not a luxury; it is a biological necessity.”

abcnews.go.com/Health/us-of...

The idea that you can hire a wealthy elitist who has spent his entire life swindling and cheating people (fraud, wages owed, fake degrees, bankrupting businesses, etc) —

And not expect him to continue to swindle and cheat in the job you put him in…

Well, it’s certainly not based on logic, is it?

I’ve seen too many TikTok accounts like this - obviously fake AI generated spam claiming some tragedy and needing money via sales. (And immediately block them.)

The fact this company is being funded by Andreessen Horowitz is deeply disappointing.

ICE Data Reveals What Happened to 1,600 People Arrested During Chicago’s Blitz Most of those arrested were swiftly shuttled to a sprawling array of detention centers in 13 states, many with reports of troubling conditions.

“President Joe Biden ended the practice of detaining children with their families in 2021, but Trump recently reversed that policy and resumed operations.”

“…it’s like, how can we make people as miserable as possible in these facilities so that they just say, ‘Screw it, I want to leave.’”

An MIT professor was fatally shot at his home and police launched a homicide investigation A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was fatally shot at his home near Boston, and authorities said Tuesday they had launched a homicide investigation.

RIP Professor Loureiro - known for his research on how plasma works, particularly the physics underpinning astronomical phenomena. He was studying how to harness fusion power to combat climate change. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin’ Good Dating Simulator on Steam Welcome to the most delicious dating simulator ever created. Do you have what it takes to be the business partner of and win the heart of the most famous chicken salesman of all time? Play to find out...

Omg… HOW DID I NEVER HEAR OF THIS 😭 how did I miss out on such a magnificent piece of advertising? a KFC dating game
#iloveyoucolonelsanders

Nick Fuentes JD Vance Scandal Got Worse & House Votes To Release Epstein Files, BUT There's a Catch YouTube video by Philip DeFranco

Epstein Files votes
MAGA Civil War
Cloudfare Outage
Cop Shoots Dog
UN Security Council vote
The sad state of Gaza
Israel settler violence
Palestinians sent to South Africa

Slavery was Racist YouTube video by Hank Green

“there's a reason it's taboo, and the weakening of that taboo is really obviously destructive in a lot of really obvious ways. I do not like where we are headed here...”

Release the files.

The irony of conservatism is letting fear drive you backwards into a trap of your own making, instead of progressing forward.

Important Evening News Update Pressure grows on Schumer to step aside as Democratic leader, Indivisible launches massive primary campaign against institutional Democrats, and Senate will vote to reopen government tonight

Holy fkn shit.
“Buried in the legislative branch spending measure is a sweeping legal shield that would allow senators to sue the government…
The measure appears tailored to directly benefit eight Republican senators…”

Ghislaine Maxwell plans to seek commutation from Trump, whistleblower says Documents provided by a whistleblower show Ghislaine Maxwell has asked President Trump to commute her sentence as prison employees suggest she has received “concierge-style treatment” at a new facilit...

“You should not grant any form of clemency to this convicted and unrepentant sex offender.
…
It is indisputable that the order to treat Ms. Maxwell as an honored guest, rather than a federal prisoner, has come from the highest levels.”

Zohran Mamdani: Andrew Cuomo’s #1 Hater (and NYC’s Next Mayor?) YouTube video by Josh Johnson

Josh Johnson - fave comedian right now. Political commentary with masterful humor.

Humans, however, are social creatures. The feeling of loneliness triggers a stress response. Evolution has biologically wired us to require social acceptance because that is how we best survive. We literally need each... For so many reasons beyond food alone.

Tigers are solo creatures. Cortisol levels rise when they are around each other. Their biology has evolved to recognize that when other tigers are near, resources are lower. Other tigers are a threat to their survival - they might go hungry.

What Loneliness Does To Your Brain with Ben Rein

Startalk: what loneliness does to your brain. Feat. Ben Rein.

Animals (including humans) are biologically wired for the social levels they live in best.

Shein Removes Childlike Sex Dolls After French Watchdog Complaint France's consumer protection agency DGCCRF reported fast-fashion retailer Shein to prosecutors for selling sex dolls with childlike appearances, stating the items' descriptions made it difficult to do...

Third-party seller on SHEIN sold blatantly obvious child s*x dolls. France took action, threatening to block the entire site if they weren’t removed.

Hopefully investigations find and punish the seller(s). SHEIN will surely be held accountable for allowing those products on their platform.

Get out there and vote.

She Stood Up To Trump & Now He’s Trying To Jail Her Spotify video

Insightful and informative.
Podcast: In good faith with Philip DeFranco
Feat. Kay Abughazaleh

🔻USAID – aid frozen, global health crises left on hold.
🔻HUD – housing help buried under “efficiency.”
🔻Federal Grants – research and public programs gutted for show.
🔻CFPB – predators unleashed, consumers on their own.

In response to “How does Elon Musk affect your daily life?”

Let us count the ways:

🔻Twitter/X – a megaphone for hate speech and disinformation.
🔻EPA – less oversight, more pollution, sicker communities.
🔻NOAA – weaker forecasts, fewer warnings, more dead neighbors.

If the film causes viewers to side with the tyrant, the psychopath, the serial killer, the causer of pain *instead of* the victims - then it’s pro-villain propaganda. 🤷‍♀️

Another way films “convert” viewers to a way of thinking is reframing a story to empathize with the villain. Oppenheimer, Extremely Wicked, Wolf of Wall Street, The Social Network, etc. Even if a director’s intention was something else, what matters is the message the audience comes away with.

How to Write F*scist Propaganda YouTube video by schnee

The movie Hero is breathtakingly beautiful, but it’s also a Trojan horse for nationalist/fascist messaging.
youtu.be/M8LXMRZZLT4?...

Greed is a curse of insatiable hunger. Whether for power, or money, their thirst will never be quenched.

Substack article: Texas 2025 Election Props Explained

For those of us in Texas who want to make informed decisions when it comes to the 2025 special election, here’s a plain-language run down of the 17 proposed amendments.
open.substack.com/pub/xojene/p...

Any fellow artists or designers deal with severe carpal tunnel?

Waiting to have a nerve test done.