Leslie Burns

@MaryAustinBooks@mstdn.social So much wrong in so little space.

Wearing one of my favorite old Burns Auto Parts tshirts. No, not shot in a mirror; print is backwards. The idea is when the wearer looks in the mirror they get the reminder. Not sure it’s working for me today but it can’t hurt.

So far this morning I'm reading about a (prepared) pasta recall (listeria) and a meat (pork, beef, and goat) recall (not inspected correctly) and I'm thinking I'm just going to eat my bread with some butter and hide.

One of the things about driving a convertible is one is quite visible. That can be good and bad. Yesterday, I was driving down a street when a Waymo came from the opposite direction. I did a full arc sweep of the left arm to full extension and a single-fingered salute, as I drove on. Just ahead on my side of the street was a street construction crew, who all smiled and gave me thumbs-up. Solidarity.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@mariejulien/116993216033766296 Okay, this is fucked up. DocuSign is implementing AI to summarize the “essential points” of the agreements people are going to sign using it. As the original post notes, this will be legal carnage. Sooooo very much wrong.

Went over to the Fabulous Neighbor’s to have a cocktail and thank her. Without either of us knowing it at the time, her steadfastness and unconditional friendship has been a huge part in helping me heal. This week has been difficult but, oddly, in a good way. I can name some things that I couldn’t not that long ago. I can see more clearly. Turns out, having an unconditional support person helps a shitton when dealing with relational trauma. 😌

Well that’s got to be legit… 🙄

I write this to encourage others--go, meet your neighbors. Support each other when you can. Btw, if you are worried they might not be like you enough for you to bear, you can only find that out by interacting. I thought the FN was going to be conservative when I first moved in as she was from Arizona and lived in Texas and her (dead) husband had been in the Air Force. Nope. Big liberal. Would not have known if I didn't actually talk to her.

As a Buddhist, I try not to kill anything, including spiders. If I see one on my wall, I try to capture it and release it outside. But the gnarly spider on the inside rim of my toilet just got a death swirly. Sorry, little dude.

Online Dating Follies, no. 57399 Xian conservative, of course; but wait, there’s more… (You just know this dude thinks Sideshow Bob is a god)

Ward cat came all the way into the dining room just now. He seemed a bit baffled by the mirror. Ruthie simply stayed on the bed, where she both saw and heard him, surprisingly calm.

England lost. The worst thing about this is that domestic violence will be huge tonight in the UK. The saddest thing? The rates would have (likely) been worse if they won. See https://thenewfeminist.co.uk/2026/06/domestic-abuse-rises-most-when-england-win-says-new-data/

RE: https://researchbuzz.masto.host/@researchbuzz/116943623638246049 The alt text for the photo is *priceless*!!! LMFAO!

RE: https://mastodon.social/@heidilifeldman/116930629527718551 This should get interesting... To be sure, I absolutely HATE how this administration has been ruining anything and everything connected to the law. Since the judges appointed here (correctly, btw), there is some extra to this particular act of shittiness.

@deadbabe@cyberpunk.lol @DeliaChristina@sfba.social Wow... that was insulting: it is not a "silly theory." Also, people's motivations are often much deeper than what they say. If you want to dismantle the patriarchy you have to look deeper.

RE: https://flipboard.social/@newsguyusa/117033217041096531 This is one of those stories where I'm like "Yeah, fire her!" but at the same time "JFC, this petty dude literally cannot handle the truth of anything..."

@blogdiva@mastodon.social It's extra frustrating because, legally, a signature is considered valid if it evidences the intent to sign. It isn't about matching/consistency. This is why an X can be accepted as a legal signature on, for example, a will. The signature is supposed to be, essentially, a oath that the signer means to sign whatever the doc is and if that is an attestation that they are the voter, that should be enough. The matching is performative, at best. Relying on it is crazy.

We have a neighbor who is a flight attendant. The FN has his schedule and gets his packages or puts out his bins, as needed. After my breakup last year, a more distant neighbor left a condolence note and plant. A neighbor of the FN is working with another to check that the landlord in-between isn't violating the property lines with his new construction. We all are in each other's business just enough to care and hopefully not so much to be stalkers.

I look like I’ve been working the fields. A few hours of volunteering this morning with my sangha to help clean up/break down the pride festival. Miles of walking, slung sandbags, cut down and carried signs… I am wiped. Trying not to feel guilty for bailing early; the heat/humidity was starting to get to me. I also passively learned the temple runs in the red. They do so much good work and I will be sending them some $$. If anyone else wants to… 🙏😌 https://thedharmabums.org/one-time-donation

@DeliaChristina@sfba.social I have a theory that conservative men see any pregnancy as their creation and the results their property; thus, abortion means women depriving them of *their* child. Male ego/narcissism deletes not only the participation/agency of the woman, but her existence as anything other than a carrier of *his* child.

@Walrus@toot.wales See also Cyrillic for anything sort of Russian.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/117016147352287285 The amount of douchbaggery displayed in this interview is off the damn charts. Forget about the tattoos, how about the 7-day work week? Ugh...

When I read stories of reporters asking a fair question and Trump insulting or threatening them, I get frustrated. The time for politeness has passed. These reporters should follow up with "Answer the question, or the world will know you're a coward." Or simply "Sir, fuck you."

While I was volunteering this morning, I noticed a tall, statuesque, pretty woman who I am fairly certain was trans. All I could think was "Why would anyone want to do this woman harm?" knowing, of course, that there were so many who would. Then I saw someone who looked like a breeze might blow them over, who I would guess IDed as NB. Same thought. So many different people, all of whom were so obviously deserving of love and human respect. Heartbreaking and joy inducing.

RE: https://flipboard.com/@thenewsdesk/technology-shjum1jiz/-/a-Wl9CWiDjSXOIq7Ci093GnA%3Aa%3A43591897-%2F0 I have a deep hatred for Thomson Reuters if for no other reason than they never, ever, ever stop soliciting me to sign up for their services (tbf, Lexis is somehow even worse). I don't use TR's product (Westlaw) for my legal research but, if I did, I'd be quitting now.

Wenders’ Until the End of the World is on TCM late this evening. I’m pretty sure I wore out the cd of the soundtrack to that film.

This is what happens with neighbors. Sure, we happen to be closer than others, but we keep an eye out overall. Like the second fabulous neighbor had a plumbing truck show up the other day. I texted to see what's up and if she needed to have a backup bathroom (turns out it was maintenance so no issues). I'm taking care of the neighbors' cat again. A strange car or person acts suss, we let each other know.

RE: https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/@lauren/116935718445684056 At this point, even if the networks lost their licenses, they should just continue business as usual and say "what are you going to do about it?" If they get fined, just don't pay. Seriously, what are the goons going to do? Stop! Or I'll say Stop again. 😈

@condret@fedi.absturztau.be @dbattistella@mstdn.ca Copyright is not the enemy here. Don't go there--the enemy are these heartless, greedy companies that are trying to EVADE the protections of copyright (etc.) which should have (but failed to) save these actual books.

RE: https://flipboard.social/@newsguyusa/116914262646247006

Every time I read something like this I think two things:

1. He's going to nuke someplace (probably Iran); and
2. I cannot watch or listen to that somehow still extant personification of idiotic evil.

RE: https://universeodon.com/@jaykuo/116965756683071291 People need to start organizing carpools (etc.) to voting locations, now. Yes, it's wrong and we shouldn't have to, but we must show these bastards that we will show up and vote them out no matter what they try to do to stop us. They are relying on us to be lazy, complacent, and not people who say "This is bullshit; we'll do it just to spite you!"

@barabasz@mstdn.social Fantastic! I've been trying to do the same. I've got bookkeeping and practice management taken care of, but I am finding it difficult to avoid Word entirely. I do have a non-365 version at least, but still... @koop@mastodon.com.pl @m0bi@mastodon.com.pl @matt@xmatt.pl

@petersuber@fediscience.org @kamellatate@mastodon.social No it didn’t. It made that fair use ruling a year ago. This settlement was about obtaining the books illegally not, technically, the fair use question.

We live near canyons and there are plenty of coyotes around, so the cat’s night roaming makes me anxious. Ruthie is strictly indoor, but my previous little guy Benito (great cat) was also a roamer. I forgot how hard on my nerves that is…

I was hesitant about using bourbon. I have made figitinis in the past (vodka) and intended to do so again. But I saw something about bourbon and figs and thought, “what the hell, let’s see how that works.” Glad I did.

@petersuber@fediscience.org @kamellatate@mastodon.social That's incorrect. The previous ruling was a, you know, ruling. This is a settlement agreement--not a ruling. The judge essentially accepted the agreement; there was no ruling on the facts or the law. See the docs here: https://www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/documents

RE: https://mas.to/@SmudgeTheInsultCat/116942095213790427 Want.

@flyingsaceur@ioc.exchange @SRLevine@neuromatch.social That’s a good list. I’d add Batman, for Prince and Elfman

RE: https://mastodon.world/@BrianJopek/116904185226539258 I just woke the cat with my reaction. 😁😂

@ml@ecoevo.social This is great! (However, whoever convinced the owner guy to do his hair that way... yikes)

@aaron.rupar @JonChevreau@mstdn.ca He looks like a toddler who just shat himself. Seriously.

@MaryAustinBooks@mstdn.social What scared me more than the billiard balls (which is scary enough, tyvm) was the giant "Quick Connect" sticker... then I realized they meant "install" not "connect to the internet."

@flyingsaceur@ioc.exchange Yeah, I think that’s accurate. But the fig syrup is sweeter than sweet vermouth…. Maybe it’s a perfect Fig-Hattan? Sweet + dry…

WaPo has a headline: How rogue officers turned a nationwide camera network into a tool for stalking It was ALWAYS a tool for stalking (on a grand scale); this guy just personalized it.

@Sheep_Overboard@infosec.exchange I think that's kind of what I intended after the "fuck you." Just walk out and don't come back. Don't give him any coverage.

@Nonya_Bidniss@infosec.exchange @drwho@masto.hackers.town https://www.theverge.com/tech/964425/flock-safety-cease-and-desist-letter