~Riene's Phantom Phan Site

book you've reread the most times?

Thanks for the ask!

Unfortunately, that would be one of the books about a wizard boy written by that hateful woman. Used to be one of my comfort reads.

BREAKING: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce just rescued a childhood reading program after Republicans defunded it

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce quietly donated $26 million to more than 20 charities across the country this week, and one gift stands out above the rest.

The couple gave $2 million to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, the beloved program that mails a free book every month to children under five. The donation comes just weeks after Republican lawmakers in Missouri slashed the program's funding from $6 million to $2 million, forcing it to freeze enrollment and shut out new kids starting July 1. More than 170,000 Missouri children were signed up when politicians pulled the plug.

Dolly Parton herself responded in a video message, telling the couple she was "blown away and overjoyed" by their generosity.

The rest of the donations tell the same story. Nine food banks received gifts, including $1 million to City Harvest in New York, which said the support comes at a critical time as soup kitchen visits near record highs "in response to federal funding cuts." Three children's hospitals, seven educational programs, and the ASPCA also received donations, according to reporting from Variety.

While politicians in Washington and state capitols keep cutting programs that feed hungry families and put books in kids' hands, two of the most famous people in America stepped up and filled the gap days before their own wedding.

“It’s not that wet” 

You are not going to pass a skillcheck against a rip current once it has you.

Waves will not bow to your physical prowess no matter how impressive.

Shock does not care that you used to be on your school swim team.

If you hit your head, being good at swimming isn't going to turn you face-up while you're unconscious.

And for those people who have access to mobility devices but might benefit from a second chair they can abuse without risking expensive damage…

Erik Kondo has made a website, Open Source Innovations, that details plans for DIY wheelchairs. These wheelchairs can be made from common materials like wood, plastic, and pvc. They are lightweight and can be custom fit to the user allowing from the same degree of movement you would get from a custom chair. And they are durable and easily repairable. (he has been stress testing his latest design by dropping it down stairs, dropping it out of a car, launching it across a driveway, and throwing it off a deck). Its 12lbs and I think he said its was in the $200 ish range for parts.

So, in terrible news, Trump's trying to pull some strings to pass this massive internet censorship bill, featuring all the kinds of internet censorship we're terrified of, including mandatory ID for accessing basically any website, specifically to crush state regulation of AI, because apparently this man will always see the moral bottom of the barrel and start digging.

A Nervous Old Man (right) and his Emotional Support Violence Machine (Left)

Because publishing houses will not continue printing paper books if libraries are their only customers.

This is a spot from an italian estate agency (we are governed by the right-wing party)

The woman says "Ridiculous..."

The way I explain it to my patients is that our neurons don’t regenerate. They make connections with each other and that’s it. If you don’t use your brain, they make fewer connections and, if one of them dies, you’re gonna miss it, because that was the only one that knew how to do X. Now, if each one of them has many, many connections, you won’t notice the difference when one of them dies. The others pick up the slack.

As of 2024, 45% of dementia risk factors are modifiable. Relevant to this conversation, 5% for less education and 5% for social isolation.

We absolutely are going to see the reflection of this, but it’s gonna take decades and it’ll be too late. So, for the love of your brain, pretend that it’s a muscle and make it work. People complain about “when am I ever gonna use this maths formula in my life?” You’re not. You’re teaching your brain to think logically. Those sinapses will be there for when you need to figure out your week’s schedule. English classes taught me how to interpret data and how to convey it in this text so it’s clear and you understand what I’m saying, not because I needed to justify why the curtain is blue.

Make your brain know how to do different things. Logic games, puzzles, taking care of a garden even if small, planning a church’s event or birthday, learn a new instrument, learn a few words in another language, look at a calendar every day, do some manual labor if possible. Do not, I repeat, do not let your brain get rid of sinapses by letting AI do everything. Your brain uses 20% of your body’s energy — do you really think it’s going to maintain connexions that aren’t in use?

Most cases of Alzheimer’s are sporadic, meaning no family history. Family history of a first-degree relative with Alzheimer’s starting before they were 80yo increases your risk in 2-3x on average.