Richard Mischook @rmischook@nitech.online

The centralized social web is failing us. Our online lives are controlled by a handful of billionaires and the whims of their personal agendas. It's time to come together and show the world there's a better way.

So we're hosting a free digital unconference on Feb 11th for the builders of the decentralized social web. Whether you're an engineer working on protocols, or an organizer building community, this conference is for you.

Register on our OpenCollective to attend: https://decentsocial.net/register

The first thing to understand is that in the USA, 60% of all Black men in college will drop out.😢

The primary reason for dropping out is not grades. It is financial hardship. This is true for students of all races. Not all poor students are Black, but in the US, most Black college students are poor.

You can ask a US college student 2 questions:
1) Are you rich?
2) Is your family rich?

If the answers are "No" and "No," there is a very good chance that this student will not graduate college.

Researching mines in northern Spain I came across this curious object. It's a canary cage designed to keep the canary alive in the event of a gas leak. If a miner saw the canary laying at the bottom of the cage it was time to abandon everything and leave the mine, but not without first closing the latched glass door and opening the valve of the oxygen bottle to save the bird. A miner would do that on their way out and take the bird with them. It's a signifier of the miner's legendary sense of solidarity, no lives lost to the mine on a miners watch. A solidarity that was also crucial in the fight for workers rights, creating safer and more humane working conditions, achievements of unionization and solidarity that some of us still enjoy today.

Oh the weather outside is vile
But the cat is in denial
So he wants to go out right now
He goes meow, he goes meow, he goes meow

What millions of years look like in one photo, Ireland.

I've long used nasal irrigation - a net pot, specifically - to try to shut down colds or flu. But recently I've started using it proactively after being in situations where my risk of Covid or other viruses exposure was higher. Linked is a study showing an 8-fold decrease in serious consequences when nasal irrigation is used *post-infection*. Anyone know of studies about prevention of Covid getting started in the first place?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36007135/

#Covid #NasalIrrigation #NetiPots

Well, today I learned:

* private health insurance is exempt from value added tax.

* a quarter of private hospitals are charities, giving steep discounts on business rates and exemption on corporation tax

* NHS hospitals pay full business rates

What a crock. #NHS #socialistsunday

If anyone ever tries to convince you that your nation would be better served by a private health insurance system, rather than having government managed healthcare, that person is your enemy. They are trying to kill you.

Sincerely,
Someone paying 10x as much for Insulin.

Why does the media tell us that inflation is at a 40 year high without telling us that corporate profits are at a 70 year high?

Computers used to scream out in pain when we connected them to the Internet.

This was a clue and we just didn't listen.

ME: hi i’m here for literal club

WORKER: what is your name

ME: it’s what people call me

WORKER: go right in

I’m sharing this clip direct from barrister Robin Moira White on LinkedIn. Worth the read…

Look, I know you might not understand how it works around here, seeing as you’re from Twitter and signed up in late November.

Mastodon has a culture all its own that YOU are ruining. I should know. I’ve been here a while now. I signed up in *early* November.

Sherlock Holmes and Pooh Bear will both be public domain next week. There's a crossover that's been waiting a long time.

The kind you find in a second hand store

Two days ago I had never heard of Andrew Tate.
This morning I am giggling with glee at his empire crumbling.

Hoping 23 brings lots more 🍿 -worthy moments of horrible arseholes getting their comeuppance.

There is no such thing as a “job creator.” There are employers, who hire employees, *because they need them*. And then employers pay the employees less than the value they generate. That’s the system. How did we get to the point at which people behave as if the wealthy are giving a gift to working people? I realize it’s not a new attitude, but it remains proudly f’d up.

One more day, do you think we can fit another prime minister in?

Someone also updated Tate's Wikipedia. I'm in stitches...

ME: is this a date? it feels like a date

MICROSOFT EXCEL: i have no idea