I'm using this to follow artists

First up is a petition to alter the rules for our "Third Safe Country" agreement with the United States to allow LGBTQI+ folk to seek asylum here. At current, any request for asylum from the United States regarding LGBTQI+ discrimination is blanket denied. So, lets change that with Petition e-7195:

The above petition closes for signature June 25, 2026, at 3:13 p.m. (EDT).

Second is a petition that covers quite a lot but the essence of this one is that we have a clause called the "Notwithstanding Clause" in our constitution that allows provinces to shield laws they locally pass from judicial review for 5 years so they can pass laws to solve their problems without the Federal Government from getting involved. In practice it's being used to remove human rights, and ignore aspects of our constitution like the right for those under 18 to seek gender affirming care and to deny teachers their right to protest. Petition e-7269 is requesting our government to annul the recent uses of the Notwithstanding clause to uphold the Charter that gives Canadian Citizens and Residents their human rights (this is within the Federal Governments power to do, they just haven't done it yet):

The above petition closes for signature July 24, 2026, at 11:04 a.m. (EDT)

Sony: AIBO Robot Dog in Smart Design Magazine By: Clive Grinyer (2001)

the "milkman" is a common figure in stories depicting a woman's infidelity and adulterous affair.

this implies that the ability to provide milk would both decrease the likelihood of a man abandoning his wife and children, as it would eliminate the need for leaving to get milk AND would secure that man's marriage, as his wife would have no need to seek milk from an extraneous source.

therefore, all men should produce milk, through various means such as:

- being a cow

- being an almond

- being a woman

- being a coconut

- being in the omegaverse

- being an oat

(list is exemplary and not finite)

He reveals that he's been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He is getting help through a therapist and a psychologist. He says he suspected he had it for years but was afraid of a diagnosis because he didn't want to take medication and felt life was already hard enough for him being Black and gay.

And he kept doing it. Scene after scene.

He spent the film expecting someone to make a joke about how unserious things were or to break the fourth wall or do some other self referential type thing.

Now, maybe I'm just at that point in my cycle or maybe I'm too delicate in general, but I literally teared up hearing that. Straight up cried a bit. It is so fucking sad that sincerity and genuineness is being bred out of people.

People say all the time 'this generation can't take anything seriously!' and really, is it any wonder? Younger people have been trained out of it. You are no longer encouraged to be genuine or show emotion or be honest. You are actively punished for it. In fact, you are almost guaranteed to suffer for it.

That is so fucked up. I'm sorry to go on a bit of a random ramble rant but it's so fucking gut wrenching to see younger people lose that element of themselves. You can't express your passion without being told you're 'crashing out' or 'cringe'. You have to live in this neutral state of fear of perception, and god forbid anybody step outside of it!

You're told you should only consume and succumb and be ironic and emotionless and cool.

Listen, if you're following me and you're like.... 25 or under, let's say. Please. I beg of you. Do not fall for this rhetoric. Please, for the love of all things, feel. Feel and create and be honest with yourself. Indulge in things that make you happy. Be sincere. Wear your heart on your sleeve. Do not let this hyper-capitalistic, hyper-consumerist, self-centred, individualist culture take that from you.

Now of course loans. To my understanding "loans" are commonly done, but miss what is hot. Loans, real loans, impose risk (though on both parties to some degree) and a beautiful struggle against the grim inevitability of a formula. With high interest rates and complex clauses (particularly on default) they are even better, and that symmetry of risk can be distilled into something beautiful. As Getty said, "If you owe the bank $100, that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that's the bank's problem".

But these are the obvious financial instruments, and also somewhat boring ones. There isn't really much creativity in them.

But what about (re)insurance at favorable rates? Just think of the moral hazard and asymmetry of risk! Or imagine the classic of highly leveraged basis swaps piling up risk with insufficient margin management infrastructure! Or, somewhat related to the previous, non-consensual ownership of the basis risk of a structured product? Or how about some contract selling a share of all future earnings which is tradable and creates a fiduciary duty to whoever holds it? Or slavery in exchange for a transfer of debts? Or an endless, terrible spiral of PIK toggle notes! (And just imagine the risk to note holders!)

Each of the lyrics comes from an old-time hickory song for fiddles, and is a lyric from that corresponding song.

"Fire on the Mountain" --> "Fire on the Mountain, run boys run"

Fire On The Mountain - Fiddle Player POV

"The House of the Rising Sun" --> "The Devil's in the house of the rising sun"

House of the Rising Sun

"Ida Red" --> "Chicken in the bread pan peckin' out dough"

Ida Red - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys

"Granny Will Your Dog Bite" --> "Granny does your dog bite? 'No child, no'."

FTC #149 Granny Will Your Dog Bite

And for your furthered education, The Mountain Whipporwill.

in a time before things like radios and record players, every time you heard music was because there was somebody in the room with you playing an instrument. and many, many, many social events involved dancing, which requires music. so, if you're planning any kind of gathering in the american south or appalachia, you need to find a fiddler. and the fiddler's job is to play music that everybody knows and likes and can dance to.

the mistake The Devil makes in his bet with Johnny is that he misinterprets the contest as being about technical ability, so he has this big flashy song. he plays fast and impressively with a band of demons playing unfamiliar instruments in unfamiliar rhythms. he's definitely more skilled at playing than Johnny, and thinks he has it in the bag.

inspiration struck and would not let me go until i drew this

My postcard for pride month.

Inspired by this 510 BCE depiction of Sappho, and the joy of being in rooms of fellow gay & trans people making music & art, telling stories, and playing games together lately.

I'm grateful to the many people I've met in my area over the past few years who have been working hard to build spaces for that to happen in -- especially Cas, Lids, & Ryan.