#stores in colorado springs

[firstandtownmaincenter]

Seasonal Shopping Trends in Colorado Springs | First and Main Town Center

Colorado Springs is not just a haven for outdoor enthusiasts; it's also a vibrant hub for shopping, dining, and entertainment. As the seasons change, so do the trends and activities that make this city a shopper's paradise. Whether you're seeking the latest fashion, planning a relaxing meal, or enjoying live music under the summer stars, Colorado Springs offers something for everyone.

Shopping Delights

When it comes to shopping, Colorado Springs boasts a variety of malls and centers that cater to every taste. First and Main Town Center stands out as a prime destination, offering a blend of retail therapy and entertainment options. From popular stores like Best Buy and Lowe's Home Improvement to specialty shops like Buckle and Applejacks, there's no shortage of choices for savvy shoppers.

Dining Experiences

Adjacent to First and Main Town Center, the culinary scene in Colorado Springs is equally diverse. Restaurants along Powers Boulevard, such as the Wobbly Olive, offer delectable dishes and refreshing happy hour specials. Whether you're craving a gourmet meal or a quick bite before catching a movie at the nearby theater, you'll find plenty of options to satisfy your palate.

Entertainment Galore

As summer rolls in, so do the outdoor concert series in Colorado Springs. First and Main hosts lively concerts that draw music lovers from all around. Imagine soaking up the tunes while enjoying shopping deals and exploring the vibrant atmosphere of this premier shopping destination.

Community Gatherings

First and Main Town Center isn't just about shopping and dining—it's a community hub where locals and visitors alike come together. Pottery painting studios, like those found nearby, offer creative outlets, while Applejack Wine & Spirits provides a perfect spot to unwind after a day of exploration.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you're looking to immerse yourself in the best of Colorado Springs shopping, dining, and entertainment, look no further than First and Main Town Center. Whether you're planning a day of retail therapy, exploring new dining experiences, or enjoying outdoor concerts, this vibrant hub has it all. Stay tuned for upcoming events like the 2023 summer concert series and discover why First and Main Town Center is the ultimate choice for all your seasonal adventures in Colorado Springs.

[dizinfo]

Jewelry Store Colorado Springs

Luisa Graff Jewelers, where Colorado gets engaged!

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

You may notice I frequently comment on the assumptions people make about animal facilities based on their branding. Frequently, people assume accredited facilities are inherently better for animals than unaccredited facilities, or assume sanctuaries are inherently more moral / better at caring for their animals than zoos.

I want to show you an example of why I am always, always skeptical of these assumptions.

If you’re in the California area, you might have heard about Hank the Tank - who is actually a Henrietta, btw - the 500 pound nuisance bear from Lake Tahoe who broke into 21 homes in search of food. She was recently captured by wildlife officials and moved to a sanctuary in Colorado. The Wild Animal Sanctuary has three main facilities, two in Colorado and one in TX. To give you some context, it’s the biggest carnivore sanctuary in the country - they advertise somewhere between 300-500 animals, mostly large carnivores, between their properties. It’s where most of the Tiger King cats went. It’s PETA’s preferred placement for confiscated exotic animals. So, obviously, it’s got to be great, right? Except… take a look at what they posted about Henrietta’s arrival.

Here’s their post about Henrietta’s arrival at the Refuge, the large facility in Colorado that isn’t open to the public. Let’s take a closer look at that food trough…

What do we see here? An entire rotisserie chicken that is either blackened or highly seasoned, and a whole ham. Maybe a second chicken underneath the pile, I can’t quite tell. The sanctuary gets the majority of their bear food donated from groceries stores once it’s past the sell-by date, so we know those are older meats and they’re full of a ton of salt. Then, for fruit and veg, there’s a cantaloupe, mango, corn, avocado, grapes, and apples. Maybe a pepper or two, it’s hard to tell. That’s a lot of sugar and not a lot of fiber or roughage.

But… on top of it and to the right… are those Twizzlers?

Yes.

The sanctuary confirmed on Facebook that they fed this recently rescued obese bear what looks like almost an entire pack of Twizzlers.

I don’t know of any world in which it’s appropriate to feed candy to a bear. Maybe a piece or two as a really high value reinforcer for hard behaviors (that isn’t relevant here, it’s openly against this sanctuary’s ethos to do any husbandry or medical training). An entire pack of Twizzlers is just appalling. But it’s not uncommon for this facility! I have a book written about their operations and animal care (that I bought at their gift shop this spring) which openly discusses how the bears get fed bread, doughnuts, marshmallows, and all sorts of incredibly unhealthy food that comes in with the grocery donations.

But hey, this is apparently fine for the bears, according to the sanctuary’s founder. He was quoted in that same book as saying “Bears are the only animal I know of that can eat insane amounts of sugar and it never hurts them. It does not hurt their organs. They do not get clogged arteries. They do not have high blood pressure. In the wild they eat all these sweet berries in the fall, and they convert sugar to fat… so the more sugar they get the better… we would all love to have a system like that!”

Now while it’s true that bears have physiological adaptations that modulate their insulin production and sensitivity in ways that appear to prevent them from from developing diabetes, that does’t mean it’s healthy for them to regularly eat processed carbohydrates, sugar, and general junk food. And remember - Henrietta gained her fame because of how incredibly overweight she already is, and because she was seeking out human food, According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, a healthy weight for a normal adult black bear is between 100-300 pounds. So, obviously, the best thing to do is… continue to feed her candy.

Then, later on in the book, it details how they have to bribe a camel to sit tight for a regular medical examination (since they don’t train for medical behaviors) by letting him drink a can of Mountain Dew each time.

If a zoo was known publicly to be feeding their animals Mountain Dew or a couple Twizzlers - even just once, on a rare occasion - they’d be eviscerated in the media and by public opinion. But feeding out inappropriate junk food appears to be a pretty common practice at this place, and it just goes unscrutinized because everyone assumes sanctuaries are inherently better for animals.

So, long story short, never make assumptions about the quality of a facility based on it’s branding or accreditation. (TWAS is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries). If you have concerns about the ethics or practices of a facility, always try to put your preconceptions aside, go and see for yourself, and think critically about what you see and what you’re told.

[noirandchocolate]

LET'S DO THIS, MY FELLOW BELIEVERS IN SANTA! It's that magical day again, for us to keep an eye on our favorite fat red man with presents via NORAD Tracks Santa! 

Here’s your yearly history lesson about this merry tradition:

In 1955, a Sears department store placed an advertisement in a Colorado Springs newspaper telling children that they could telephone Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.  But the phone number for the “hotline” had a typo in it and calls from excited kids went to Colorado Springs’ Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center instead. Colonel Harry Shoup responded by telling children that there were signs on the radar that Santa was on his way south from the North Pole.  Colonel Shoup also told his staff to give all children who called in a “current location” for Santa Claus. A tradition began which continued when NORAD replaced CONAD in 1958.  And it’s been going on for OVER SIXTY-FIVE YEARS!  

As of right now on the tracker (8:11 am EST), Santa is flying over the Pacific Ocean in his open sleigh, and he and the reindeer have already delivered 767k gifts!  DO YOUR BEST, SANTA!  PLEASE SPREAD YOUR JOYFUL MAGIC FOR 2024!! WE NEED IT!!!

Meanwhile, NORAD’s Santa-spying tech can also be used as a fun way to learn more about the world, since its map pops up new links to Wikipedia articles and photos–and sometimes little videos–for locations Santa visits! Check it out!  

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This 1984 townhouse in Colorado Springs, CO is an art lover's dream. It's like having your own gallery. Who knew? 3bds, 3ba, 1,486 sq ft, $375k + $319mo. HOA. I once rented a tri-plex unit that was built in the 80s and it had firewalls between the units, so it was pretty soundproof. Take a look inside.

I didn't expect this. Room for a baby grand piano and a large stone fireplace. Look at the art on the ceiling.

I guess you can call this open concept, b/c the living/dining room/kitchen are one open space.

It looks like they've got large pieces of art propped up against a bay window.

Okay, the kitchen was reno'd and has a full size washer/dryer pair. Nice cabinets and counters

I don't see a dishwasher, but it might be in the sink cabinet.

1/2 bath on the main floor with nice tile and sink.

If you don't have this much stuff to put on the wall, there will be a lot of hole patching.

Ladder to the attic? For hanging art? I don't know.

Look at this. There's a DIY built-in desk and shelving, but look at the display- it's like crates.

I've never seen display pieces like this.

Here, we have a closet with a pocket door. It looks like it's also a small work space.

Across the hall there's a tiled bath, but it looks like the shower is storing art.

Here, there's a gallery display area and a studio.

Even though I don't see a bed, I'm going to call this the primary bedroom.

Also, it has an ensuite. Looks like a renovated bath.

This bedroom is currently used an office.

On the back of the home there's a 2nd fl. terrace and a small patio.

570.64 sq ft lot

Nice mountain view.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2504-Blazek-Loop-Colorado-Springs-CO-80918/13589996_zpid/

[shiftythrifting]

The Barbie section at an ARC thrift store in Colorado Springs.

doll tumblr is about to yell at you if you didn't buy Luna Mothews

[drnikolatesla]

Reviving Tesla’s Dream: The Future of Wireless Power Transmission

“My project was retarded by the laws of nature. The world was not prepared for it. It was too far ahead of time. But the same laws will prevail in the end and make it a triumphal success.” – Nikola Tesla

In the early days of radio technology, there was a crucial decision point that split wireless technology into two distinct paths. One path, pursued by Marconi and others, focused on electromagnetic wave transmission. The other path, championed by Nikola Tesla, aimed to minimize electromagnetic waves and use the Earth itself for energy transmission. While the world predominantly embraced the former, Tesla’s innovative approach was largely forgotten. Let’s explore Tesla’s lost art.

Tesla's wireless power transmission system, often known as his "Magnifying Transmitter," was a pioneering approach to sending electrical energy over long distances. Unlike today’s wireless technologies, which rely on electromagnetic waves, Tesla's design aimed to transmit energy through the earth, which he believed was more efficient.

Tesla showcased his system’s potential during his 1899 experiments in Colorado Springs. He successfully transmitted energy through the ground, illuminating bulbs about a mile away from the transmitter. Tesla saw this as a matter of engineering: just as a machine that can throw a rock 5 feet can be engineered to throw it 1,000 feet, he believed his system could be adjusted to transmit power across any distance on Earth.

Modern wireless technologies, such as radio, Wi-Fi, and cellular networks, use electromagnetic waves that spread outward from a source. These waves lose strength according to the inverse square law, which means signal strength decreases with the square of the distance from the source. This energy loss is a significant limitation for long-distance communication and power transmission.

Tesla’s vision was quite different. He recognized that while electromagnetic waves were effective for communication, they were inefficient for transmitting large amounts of power. As he put it, “I only used low alternations, and I produced 90 percent in current energy and only 10 percent in electromagnetic waves, which are wasted.” Tesla aimed to minimize electromagnetic radiation, which he considered to be energy-draining. Instead, he focused on transmitting energy through the earth, which he believed was more efficient and recoverable.

Tesla's system utilized a large coil known as the "Magnifying Transmitter," which generated a high-voltage, low-frequency current. This design featured significant self-inductance and minimal capacitance, producing a strong resonant effect. By accumulating and directing massive amounts of energy with minimal losses, Tesla aimed for efficient power transmission. As he explained, “I accumulate in that circuit a tremendous energy... I prefer to reduce those waves in quantity and pass a current into the earth, because electromagnetic wave energy is not recoverable while the earth current is entirely recoverable, being the energy stored in an elastic system.”

The scientific principles of Tesla's system include:

1. Resonant Circuits: Tesla's system used resonant circuits, tuning the primary and secondary coils to the same frequency. This resonance allowed for efficient energy transfer between coils, amplifying energy while minimizing losses.

2. Self-Inductance: A key component of Tesla’s system was self-inductance. A large coil with high self-inductance generated a strong magnetic field essential for creating high-voltage, low-frequency current. Self-inductance helped store energy in the coil’s magnetic field, critical for high power levels.

3. Capacitance: Tesla’s design involved large capacitors to store electrical energy. Capacitance was kept small compared to self-inductance to achieve desired resonant effects. The capacitors would discharge rapidly, creating high-voltage pulses for transmission through the earth.

To construct a system similar to Tesla’s, he advised:

1. Low Frequency, High Voltage Design: Build a large Tesla coil to generate high voltages at low frequencies. Ensure the design minimizes electromagnetic radiation and focuses on efficient energy transfer into the ground.

2. Loose Coupling for Resonance: Use loose coupling between the primary and secondary coils to achieve significant resonant rise. The coils should be inductively linked but not too close to avoid direct energy transfer.

3. Earth Connection: Establish a deep, effective ground connection to allow the transmitter to send electrical currents into the earth, utilizing its natural conductive properties.

4. Minimizing Radiation: Design the system to suppress electromagnetic radiation, aiming to retain energy within the circuit and direct it into the ground. Tune the system to maximize energy storage and transfer.

5. Energy Storage and Discharge: Incorporate large capacitors for storing and rapidly discharging energy to create high-voltage, low-frequency oscillations.

Tesla’s system faced significant challenges, including the need for large, expensive equipment. In 1914, he estimated the cost of his "Magnifying Transmitter" at $450,000—around $15 million today. These financial constraints prevented him from fully realizing his dream and unfortunately led to his public image as a mad scientist with unrealistic future visions. However, the potential applications of his system are vast, from global wireless power transmission to reducing infrastructure costs and powering remote areas. With ongoing advancements in technology, Tesla’s vision may be within reach.

Tesla’s system presents an alternative approach to wireless energy transmission, focusing on efficiency and long-distance power transfer over the broad dispersal of electromagnetic waves. While modern technologies have advanced in different ways, Tesla’s principles—especially his focus on resonant circuits and earth currents—provide valuable insights into alternative methods of energy transmission. Exploring these principles today could lead to innovative applications, such as more efficient long-distance power transmission or new energy transfer methods.

[nudistcat]

Listen/purchase: Midnight Florist by Jessica Best and the Creeping Doubts

Alright, story time.

So, back in the most torturous stretch of my 20s, I was living in the neocon hellscape of Colorado Springs and working a succession of minimum wage jobs. The worst of those was a gig as a caramel cook at a candy store, which combined retail misery, manual labor contributing to chronic pain disorders, and ungodly stickiness.

Late one summer night it was just me and another young female peon working the closing shift when a dude blew in with a serious case of ants-in-pants. He immediately asked for a dozen chocolate-covered strawberries. 

(An aside: it’s worth explaining that these were one of the store’s signature offerings. Hand-dipped, special-ordered from a farm in California that grew them extra-large and juicy. They were $3 a pop even without 15 years of inflation, so this guy was dropping a significant chunk of change.)

Still anxious and distracted, he asked if we had gift wrap options so I pulled out our nicest tissue paper and ribbon and started boxing ‘em. Straight men failing at forward planning were one of our main customer bases so I’d seen his ilk before, although more usually late on Christmas Eve or Valentine’s Day.

My coworker was ringing him up and I was putting the finishing touches on the wrapping when the customer said something that made both of us turn to look at him in creepy wide-eyed Exorcist-style unison: “Do you know where to find a florist open right now?”

Let me reiterate, the man had just spent the current equivalent of $50 on high-octane apology fuel. It was a fair going rate for “Our anniversary was, uh, yesterday.” If you need flowers on top of the fancy candy and are visibly twitching in dread, the fuckup was DIRE.

He left the store with the stern feminine admonition that THE ONLY FLORISTS WHO WORK LATE ARE AT THE GROCERY STORE...and we spent the rest of the shift placing bets on what landed him in hot water. My pick was “ran over her cat”. Coworker went with “slept with her sister”.

Anyway, here’s a song my dear friend @idiopathicsmile wrote about the desperation inherent in trying to find a bouquet before your wife gets home in a righteous fury.

[mariacallous]

The fascist spectacle of Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden is being hailed as a triumph by members of the MAGA movement. 

To their eyes, it was an incursion into a diverse, progressive city that will overwhelmingly vote against one of their own: the boy who grew up in Queens and rose to fame in Manhattan, who sexually assaulted women in luxury stores and called for the execution of five innocent black kids (the exonerated “Central Park Five”) on the streets below, who one day descended a golden escalator in Midtown to announce his candidacy for president in a photo op that began his shocking ascent to the White House. It eventually led him back to a courtroom in downtown Manhattan, where a jury of his peers deigned to convict him for interfering in the 2016 election by paying hush money payments to a porn star. 

But to former President Donald Trump himself, none of that history matters, except as cause for retribution. “That is a lot of fake news!” he said to the packed crowd inside the arena on Sunday, pointing to the assembled press corps, calling them the “enemies of the people” for the umpteenth time. 

This was part of Trump’s triumph, too, that the whinging, “woke” media, for all its documentation of his crimes and mendacity, could not stop him from taking this stage at — as Madison Square Garden describes itself — “the world’s most famous venue,” a Trumpian turn of phrase if there ever was one. 

I’ve lost count of the number of Trump rallies I’ve covered these last eight years. Each story I filed attempted to document how the gatherings were teeming with extremists: white supremacists and militiamen. Members of violent fascist street gangs. Apocalyptic Christians and self-appointed apostles who said they spoke to God, who told them Trump was a modern-day King Cyrus. And that sometimes they’d approach members of the press and threaten them, dragging a finger across their throats. Or that, one time, about a dozen Proud Boys surrounded me and demanded I explain why I called them neo-fascists. 

What I attempted to convey at each turn was that these extremists were much less “fringe” than we would like to imagine, that they were firmly part of the MAGA coalition now, and that their crude and cruel talking points were becoming the official messaging of the Republican Party. 

The word “extremist” has become increasingly moot to describe people and beliefs that have gone mainstream. I’ll always remember the nice middle-aged MAGA couple who politely, even sweetly, told me that we should ethnically cleanse the U.S. of Muslims. It’s that sort of memory that’s been behind so much of the reporting that I think I and my HuffPost colleagues have done, trying to scream these last few years how plainly fascist this all was. That it was happening here.  

So, this story — about all the white nationalists and far-right influencers in the audience last Sunday at Madison Square Garden — is, in a way, just another one of those stories. Still, I can’t help but feel that what this story describes is somehow even more alarming than any of the dispatches I filed from rallies in Greenville or El Paso or Colorado Springs. 

But depending on what happens this Tuesday, maybe it’s the final Trump rally story I’ll file at all. 

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Canary Media:

A coalition of U.S. power companies is demanding ​“immediate action” from the Trump administration to roll back federal regulation of toxic coal ash and rescind recent enforcement actions.

A Jan. 15 letter to Lee Zeldin, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, outlines specific steps the federal government should take to relieve power companies of their obligations to prevent coal ash from contaminating groundwater. The letter, which was obtained by Canary Media and has not previously been reported on, is signed by executives representing a dozen power-plant operators that collectively hold over half a billion cubic yards of the dangerous material, a byproduct of burning coal in power plants.

“These are powerful corporations asking for the administration to do their bidding even if those actions put health and the environment at risk, which they certainly will,” said Lisa Evans, senior attorney for Earthjustice, which compiled groundwater monitoring data in 2022 revealing the scope of coal-ash pollution that will remain in the U.S. even after a transition to clean electricity.

The companies represented in the letter are Duke Energy; Vistra; Southern Illinois Power Cooperative; Ohio Valley/Indiana-Kentucky Electric Corp.; Talen Energy; Louisville Gas & Electric/​Kentucky Utilities; Gavin Power LLC; City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri; Basin Electric Power Cooperative in North Dakota; and the Lower Colorado River Authority.

The federal government lacked specific coal-ash regulations until 2015, when the Obama administration adopted rules following a long, contentious process. The standards omitted ​“legacy” coal ash stored in landfills and repositories that had closed before the rules took effect, and they were barely enforced until 2022, when the Biden administration made them a priority.

After years of litigation by environmental advocates, EPA last spring expanded cleanup requirements to include legacy impoundments, closing a major loophole that helped power-plant operators skirt responsibility for toxic pollution at scores of sites nationwide. Those rules are currently in effect but are being challenged in federal court by Republican attorneys general and power-industry groups.

[fuckyeah-beringandwellsfics]

Put Your Records On

submitted by: anonymous

Put Your Records On (585476 words) by @granger4013 Chapters: 24/24 Fandom: Warehouse 13 Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Myka Bering/Helena "H. G." Wells, Myka Bering/Sam Martino, Steve Jinks/Liam Napier Characters: Myka Bering, Helena "H. G." Wells, Claudia Donovan, Pete Lattimer, Steve Jinks, Vanessa Calder, Sam Martino, Liam Napier Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Music Store Series: Part 1 of The Warehouse Anthologies Summary: Myka Bering is a Colorado Springs institution. Her record store is a mecca for any and all who loved music in town, right down to the crazy kids she lets rehearse inside. Myka likes her life, it's comfortable. However, when Claudia declares that she has found a lead singer for the band she plays in with Steve and Pete at the store, Myka Bering's comfortable life is upended, because that declaration is what brings Helena Wells into Myka's life. Suddenly, with Helena around Myka is reliving parts of her life that she would rather forget, and becoming quickly convinced that this woman is going to change everything about her life.

Please tell us why you like this fic so much!

The best AUs, for me, are those in which the characters are still themselves, in a different setting - *informed* by that different setting. Like, they're not just transplanted, but the author took time and care to really dig into "how would this character be if they were *here* instead of there? What changes would that bring, and what would stay the same?" This is one such AU. I don't know how often I've read this; a dozen times? More? It is atmospheric, so well-written, long, completed; one of the masterpieces of this fandom, I daresay.

And also, Myka's endearment for Helena is SWAGGER. Like, endearments are always difficult, but SWAGGER. I will never be over that.

---

Remember that you can submit fics to be featured here, too! Here's the link to the submission form (Google Form)!

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

White-Lined Sphinx

Hyles lineata

The white-lined sphinx is a part of the family Sphingidae. They are sometimes known as the hummingbird moth because of their size and how they hover over flowers for nectar. The were first described in 1775 by Johan Christian Fabricius as Sphinx lineata.

Description The forewings are dark brown with tan stripe cutting across mirrors on both sides. The veins of the forewings are lined in white. The top edge of the forewing or the “costal margin” is outlined in a light brown and the forewing’s side edge or the “outer margin” is lined in gray. The hindwings are black with a pink stripe called the “median band.” The furry body is also dark and light brown with black, pink, and white stripes and spots.

Wingspan Range: ≈5.1 - 7.6 cm (2 -3 in)

Diet and Habitat Caterpillars of this species eat a variety of plants such as: Willow weed (Epilobium), Four o'clock (Mirabilis), Apple (Malus), Evening primrose (Oenothera), Elm (Ulmus), Grape (Vitis), and more. Caterpillars can form large groups when finding food and damage many gardens and crops.

Adult moths drink the nectar from various flowers such as: Columbines, Larkspurs, Four o'clock (Mirabilis), Petunia, Honeysuckle, Moonvine, and more. The type of flower an adult feeds from depends on the visibility during certain times of the day. At night they will feed from white flowers because they are easier to see in the dark. Durning the day, they will feed on brighter flowers.

This moth has a large range spanning from Southern Canada down to Central America, going through Mexico and most of the United States. They are found occasionally in the West Indies and on even rarer occasions in Eurasia and Africa. They live in habitats such as deserts, gardens, suburbs, and the Mountains of Colorado. However their population varies in many places.

Mating This moth has two generations per year with more in warmer climates. Eggs are laid in the spring on the host plants. A female can lay hundreds of eggs, which overwinter as larvae and emerge in February to November. This is also when they begin eating.

Predators This moth prefers to fly at night but can be seen during the day. It is preyed on by common enemies of moths: birds and bats.

Fun Fact Caterpillars were, and still are in some places, eaten by Native Americans. They were skewered, roasted, and dried to store/ground. When compared to hamburger meat, the larvae have almost as much fat but 1/3 less saturated fat and more energy in calories, protein, carbohydrate, riboflavin, and niacin.

(Source: Wikipedia, Moth Identification)

[dazedmyths]

Hi! I Know I'm not well known, but i need help. I can only afford a part time job [15 hours max per week, 4-5 hours per day] right now do to my disabilitys.. But! I do have creativity on my side that doesn't strain my disabilitys too much

I have an Etsy store and offer more off it. I just haven't added anything to it because nothing is selling i will add pictures of the crochet I've done lately [I do more just dm!] but most on the store is jewelry!

Thank you for listening !

[11x13kyle]

where they’re banned

kyle: staples, this mom and pop pho place a few blocks away from his dorm junior year of college due to an incident that he absolutely refuses to discuss, his mom’s knitting class, 3 different whole foods, a souvenir shop in montauk, zabar’s (but only the restaurant part, in the grocery part he’s fine)

kenny: uboulder, the hooters in colorado springs, the gastroenterologist’s office, the entire city of des moines, the new york new york casino, urth caffe, the bar right above kenny’s basement apartment that he had the year after he graduated

stan: tweek bros, skeeter’s, the church that held his (former) aa meetings, red rock stadium, atlantic city, knotts berry farm, the bar right above kenny’s basement apartment that he had the year after he graduated

cartman: 2 waffle houses, any kroger-owned grocery store, anywhere within 200 feet of his (former) therapist, germany, belgium, LACMA, utah, kyle’s mom’s knitting classes

[noirandchocolate]

HERE WE GO AGAIN, MY FELLOW BELIEVERS IN SANTA! The day is finally here, for us to keep an eye on our favorite holly jolly man with presents via NORAD Tracks Santa! 

Here’s your yearly history lesson about this merry tradition:

In 1955, a Sears department store placed an advertisement in a Colorado Springs newspaper telling children that they could telephone Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.  But the phone number for the “hotline” had a typo in it and calls from excited kids went to Colorado Springs’ Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center instead. Colonel Harry Shoup responded by telling children that there were signs on the radar that Santa was on his way south from the North Pole.  Colonel Shoup also told his staff to give all children who called in a “current location” for Santa Claus. A tradition began which continued when NORAD replaced CONAD in 1958.  And it’s been going on for OVER SIXTY-FIVE YEARS!  

As of right now on the tracker (8:26 am EST), Santa is soaring over Australia in his open sleigh, and he and the reindeer have already delivered 827k gifts!  YOU CAN DO IT, SANTA!  GET THE MAGIC ACROSS THE GLOBE FOR 2023!!

Meanwhile, NORAD’s Santa-spying tech can also be used as a fun way to learn more about the world, since its map pops up new links to Wikipedia articles and photos–and sometimes little videos–for locations Santa visits! Check it out!  

[truthdogg]

Our ongoing mass shootings are the POINT of no gun regulation, not some accidental side effect. Otherwise, who are the “tyrants” the far-right is stockpiling their guns to kill?

Here’s the most important line of the article, because this, ultimately, is the basis of today’s right-wing conservative belief in the purpose of the 2nd Amendment:

“The Second Amendment is not about hunting. I love hunting. The Second Amendment is not even about personal defense. That is important. The Second Amendment is there, God forbid, so that you can defend yourself against a tyrannical government.”

They’ve taken one comment about “watering the tree of liberty,” and applied it to all of the founders, even to those who were very clear, in writing, about the purpose of the 2nd Amendment and the need for citizen militias. It’s insane, and it makes zero sense that a government created by an elite minority of wealthy men would have specifically wanted the powerless non-voters to be able to kill them all, but that’s apparently what these guys truly believe.

But for our purposes, who even are these “tyrants?” At first, they seem to be referencing a Stalin or Hitler-type leader, especially since so many love to tell us that Hitler disarmed the Jews. But that’s not the sort of leader ever mentioned in the real world of policy and elections. So do we have a parliamentary system that may appoint a madman like Hitler? No. Did we recently elect a lunatic who tried to stay in power after being voted out? Yes, we absolutely did, but they clearly don’t mean a leader like him since they mostly all supported the self-coup. So who is it that they’re so afraid of?

Conservatives like Kirk often refer to the founders’ real fears of a “tyranny of the majority,” meaning the landless laborers, slaves, and minorities who had no right to vote. They see themselves as the rightful inheritors of the founders’ elitist political power, arrayed against those who outnumber them. For their part, the founders were right to fear a disenchanted majority; after all, they had just invented a republic that put themselves at the top of a power-sharing arrangement to replace a king, and they knew that despite their revolution they had avoided a French-style massacre of elites. Further, they had also just agreed to perpetuate a dystopian society for a large portion of the population that would take another two centuries to slowly and painfully unravel.

Embracing that language of the founders does help to demonstrate just how wrong the right-wing misinterpretation of the 2nd Amendment truly is. It also shows us how much they want to return to a tightly limited number of voters, based once again on wealth and race. But today’s conservatives only share the founders’ traits of being overwhelmingly white and wealthy, with zero sense of their noblesse oblige or even a rudimentary responsibility to the future.

But back to tyrants. The way we most commonly hear the word “tyranny” used today, by far, is when a right wing candidate simply loses an election. Rather than moderating their positions or trying to improve the outcomes of their policies, the right simply doubles down, claims “tyranny of the majority,” and insists on power. Extreme conservatism, they believe, must be represented in government, even if those being governed don’t want it. So who, again, are the “tyrants” in this right-ring fever dream? Who are all these weapons being stockpiled to kill?

That would of course be me, you, and anyone else who disagrees with, doesn’t look like, or—perhaps most of all—votes differently from them.

This isn’t some future scenario, it’s happening now. From a Buffalo grocery store to a Colorado Springs nightclub. From synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway to a church in Charleston. Mass murders are not some accidental side effect of this ludicrous interpretation, they are its purpose. Charlie Kirk says “it’s worth it” because the terror is the intent. It’s more than worth it, it’s part of the program.

Unless and until we come to terms with just what, exactly, these far-right activists are seeking and supporting, we’ll continue seeing our friends, families, and neighbors terrorized and killed. Every mass shooting we have, every single one, is a product of that desire on the far right to murder so-called tyrants, and far too often a literal manifestation of this philosophy in action.

Because increasingly to them, losing power or simply being outvoted is tyranny, and the tyrants—be they you, me, minority groups or progressives of any sort—must be killed.