Pye

@pyewhite

Ex-graphics and publication worker, ex-musician, volunteer for community radio, amateur writer, and politically left of the left. Not a Democrat, but known to hang around with the progressive ones. atoms/molecules

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Pye@pyewhite· Jun 23

It was such a lovely day for a road trip to be surrounded by the forest in Northern Minnesota. I drove past one of the many Paul Bunyan statues, and found out later that I could have seen Lucette Bunyan, his 17-foot tall wife, had I taken a short detour. 1/3

Lovely shot of my road trip to Northern Minnesota with many trees, blue skies, and puffy clouds. Number one of three.

Lovely shot of my road trip to Northern Minnesota with many trees, blue skies, and puffy clouds. Number two of three.

Lovely shot of my road trip to Northern Minnesota with many trees, blue skies, and puffy clouds. Number three of three.

Pye@pyewhite· Jun 10

I like to think of this one as, “Assume control, don’t be controlled.”

A young man in a confessional booth saying, “Don’t bless me, father, just because you think I’ve sinned. It’s been too long since my last confession to count, but I’ve been thinking purer thoughts lately. I have this desire to live my life ethically and point out others who live their lives without ethics or morals.” On the other side, the priest is scowling.

Pye@pyewhite· Jun 5

Oh, no! Betelgeuse could explode tonight? Really? Let’s see... It’s about 548 light-years away from the Earth, and it could go supernova 1,000 years or so from now or any time in-between. Could this clickbait be any more obvious given what we know and could check with a simple online search?

A YouTube thumbnail that says, “Betelgeuse. It could explode tonight” for a video titled, “Why Betelgeuse is The Most Dangerous Star (It’s not Stable)”

Pye@pyewhite· May 30

No, I am NOT getting back into solo work just so I can play the Freedom 250 concert! (What I would like is a guest shot on The Simpsons, though.)

Me, on my deck with my Martin 12-string, daydreaming about being a guest on The Simpsons.

Pye@pyewhite· May 19

Yep, I think your thoughts are justified. It was an incitement to riot, which is unlawful and should carry criminal penalties. Just to make sure, I usually look up the definition, and this is what one finds, just for starters:

Screenshot of what one first finds when doing a search on "Incite definition."

Pye@pyewhite· May 10

Happy Mother's Day! My mother and her mother were born and raised in Northern Minnesota. They have been the biggest influences in my life. This poem is in loving memory of both of them. ❤️❤️

A Mother's Day poem dedicated to my mother and grandmother that is contained within an outline of the state of Minnesota. It reads:

My Mother Taught Me

To respect the flora
The flowers, trees, and weeds
That each have their place
And each have their needs

To respect the fauna
With feather, scale, and fur
We all share this Earth
We are all nature

There is also a simple line drawing of a common loon (Minnesota’s state bird) on the side.

Pye@pyewhite· Apr 21

I ran across this as a front-page-from-50-years-ago. It is from The Forum - a newspaper for the Fargo-Moorhead area. Check out the headline. This is something we would probably not do in this dystopian age we are in.

Part of the front page of The Forum newspaper from the Fargo-Moorhead area. The headlines say, "U.S. Will Probe Reported Attacks On Cuban Vessels"

Pye@pyewhite· Apr 8

Here is one of the many indicators of the orange one’s malignant narcissism – a lapel pin of himself.

A photo of Donald Trump sitting at his desk sporting a lapel pin of himself just below an American flag pin.

Pye@pyewhite· Apr 4

With my apologies to Frank Herbert, author of Dune and The Litany Against Fear.

Pye@pyewhite· Mar 28

Will 11.6 million people be participating this time? Whether it does or doesn’t, we need to make sure that we keep speaking out. The problem of totalitarianism is not centered on merely one orange, buffoonish, dangerous despot. There are others contributing to our demise. #NoKings

Here’s how many people attended the first two No Kings protests:
The first No Kings protests on June 14, 2025, drew an estimated 5 million participants, while the second round on October 18, 2025, attracted nearly 7 million attendees, making them among the largest single-day protests in U.S. history.

We have to add 5 million more people this time in order to reach the 3.5% rule’s number:
3.5% of the US population, which is approximately 331 million, is about 11.6 million people.

Understanding 3.5% of the U.S. population: What does 3.5% represent?
The 3.5% rule suggests that if 3.5% of a country’s population engages in nonviolent protest, it is likely to lead to significant political change or the fall of a government. In the context of the United States, this percentage translates to approximately 12 million people.

Historical Context: This concept was developed by political scientists Erica Chenoweth and Marie Stephan, who analyzed civil resistance campaigns from 1900 to 2006. They found that nonviolent movements are twice as likely to succeed as violent ones, especially when they reach the 3.5% participation threshold.

Recent Applications: In 2025, the 3.5% rule gained attention during protests against the Trump administration, particularly regarding immigration policies. Activists have cited this rule as a goal for mobilization, emphasizing that achieving this level of participation can lead to transformative change.

Pye@pyewhite· Mar 16

Another lesson in critical thinking: Top thumbnail: Hands to the head, mouth agape, fiery images, provocative title. This is meant to trigger someone. Bottom thumbnail: We know Lee Camp is a political satirist, so a surprised expression is actually sarcasm to be enjoyed. We know what to expect.

Pye@pyewhite· Feb 13

I’ve made friends of different political persuasions. My Libertarian friend reminded me of something I forgot. A phrase in Eisenhower’s speech was almost called, “the military-industrial congressional complex.” I heard that others made him shorten that phrase. I’ve never forgotten that to this day.

A partial screenshot from a search that says: Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address primarily warned against the "military-industrial complex," a term he used to describe the growing influence of the military and defense industries on government policy. While he did not specifically mention a "military-industrial congressional complex," his concerns encompassed the potential for undue influence over government decisions by these powerful entities.

Pye@pyewhite· Feb 12

Yep, it becomes important to them when it affects their image/credibility. (or maybe their own health) That guy certainly scores on more than one of Cipolla's 5 laws of stupidity.

Carlo Cipolla's five laws of stupidity are: 1) Everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals; 2) The probability of a person being stupid is independent of any other characteristic; 3) A stupid person causes losses to others without gaining anything; 4) Non-stupid people underestimate the damage caused by stupid individuals; and 5) A stupid person is more dangerous than a bandit. These laws highlight the pervasive and harmful nature of stupidity in society.

Pye@pyewhite· Jan 19

I wish everyone a good Martin Luther King, Jr. day. I did a specific search. These are the important things he talked about that we should be thinking about today – a good day to reflect on why we haven’t changed like we should have and why we continue to allow ourselves to be a divided society.

Comprehensive results of a search I did online about Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pye@pyewhite· Jan 15

Get Smart is such a classic! And Laurel & Hardy have never failed to amuse me.

Old black and white photo of comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

Pye@pyewhite· Jan 2

As we continue our first steps into 2026, I went through my half-hearted lose weight and exercise more resolutions, and now send out a wish for a better future. This is for those who lack empathy, and fill themselves up with greed and tribalism. It is also a bit of inspiration for the rest of us.

My poster of a non-rhyming poem that says:

You Have to Feel

You have to feel the profound sadness of lives being snuffed out
You have to feel the flow of tears that will not be held back
You have to feel the overbearing weight of justice withheld
You have to feel the desperate cries for action ignored
You have to feel the abject shame of history erased
You have to feel the piercing glare of disdain for complicity
And most of all,
You have to feel the inherent empathy for others, and
You have to feel what it’s like to be human again
– Pye

Pye@pyewhite· Dec 21

Happy Winter Solstice, everybody! Looking forward to the days getting longer and hoping for positive things to happen. These have been increasingly dark times, and we could make it better by cooperating, collaborating, and learning from each other.

Random picture of waiting for the sun to get higher on the shortest day of the year.

Pye@pyewhite· Dec 12

A Presidential executive order is not officially a law, but it is treated as such until something is done to countermand it. In other words, action is required, starting riiiiight about now!

Description of the Duration and Revocation

Pye@pyewhite· Nov 20

I got a whim to try writing a haiku, then it kept going until I did 5 in a row. I’m hoping it isn’t too messy or weird, and hoping I got it right. It is a bit grim, but so is my view of collective humanity. That includes a slim possibility of hope.

A set of 5 haiku titled, “Of Humanity”:

We are a cancer
Upon this planet of ours
Growing without end

We are a virus
Infecting all around us
Hastening our death

We are a theory
With conspiracies galore
Drinking the Kool-Aid

We are a death knell
In the viral movement called
Occupy zombies

We are the sleepers
On the edge of wakefulness
Of humanity

Pye@pyewhite· Oct 27

On Saturdays, I also watched the Red Green Show. So, Steve Smith (Red Green), Patrick McKenna (Harold Green), Edgar Montrose (Graham Greene), and Bill Smith, famous for “Adventures with Bill” (Rick Green). Phew, a green theme here! Loved to watch both Red Green and Red Dwarf.

Promo picture of Steve Smith for The Red Green Show.

Pye@pyewhite· Oct 24

The Grifter in Chief is having hurt feelings over Ronald Reagan’s actual words. They will throw every obfuscation they can against Canada’s ad with Reagan. It especially points out that it is merely for short-term gain, and everyone else can suffer in the long run. Truth hurts, eh, Trumpy?

A screenshot of a search query on what Ronald Reagan said about tariffs.

Pye@pyewhite· Oct 10

It’s October and time to get in the Halloween spirit. This time, it’s the original Addams Family. In the Melancholia comes to visit episode, I discover the inspiration for Princess Leia’s hair do for the first Star Wars movie. . . Maybe.

A screenshot of The Addams Family when Melancholia came to visit.

Another screenshot of The Addams Family when Melancholia came to visit.

Pye@pyewhite· Sep 10

Keeping to myself lately and concentrating on my own writing, I look things up from time to time. With predictive search, I presume the search engine uses what a lot of other people search for. If that’s true, we are truly immersed in an idiocracy! It’s a tragic comedy! (or a comical tragedy?)

Pye@pyewhite· Aug 22

This is my favorite scene from my walking route - the chalk art wall that had a beautiful butterfly where I started the uphill part of my walk. Wonderful artistic talent usually gets displayed there. Extra goodness: the chalk obscures where someone wrote, “We (heart) Trump” in red spray paint!

Monarch butterfly drawn on a chalk art wall where people like to temporarily leave art and messages.

Pye@pyewhite· May 31

At one of my favorite places to take walks, I saw that someone had started to construct a wood henge. I don’t know if they took the time to align it according to the solstices, but it’s all a part of fun with driftwood!

Picture of a partially constructed henge made of driftwood at Sporthaven Beach by the Pacific Ocean.

Pye@pyewhite· May 20

As a retirement gift from work, I received a fake front page, framed and ready for hanging. I decided to make it even better (in a graphic) by adding a bit of support from a celebrity. What can I say but . . . Giggity!

Fake front page news with banner headline saying, “Pye saves the world!” Quagmire from Family Guy is added into the photo.

Pye@pyewhite· Mar 7

I made this poster to hang in plain sight where I could see it every day. It is a reminder that, even in these precarious and uncertain times, fear is truly the mind-killer. Those who seek to dominate us, want us to live in fear and indecision, therefore keeping them in power. Pass it on! ✊

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
– Frank Herbert, “Dune”

Pye@pyewhite· Mar 2

In a week of celebrities passing away, I find out that David Johansen died. I believe he was the last surviving member of The New York Dolls. Why did I, briefly, subtract my age from his and think maybe I had 2 years left to go? Long live David Johansen, and that goes for Buster Poindexter as well!🤘

Pye@pyewhite· Feb 13

Love these shots. They have a calming effect, so well needed these days.

Sporthaven at the Port of Brookings-Harbor, southern Oregon Coast, during one of the calmer times.

Pye@pyewhite· Feb 8

I spotted a toaster in an Amazon ad the other day. Could this Smeg toaster be the beginning of a long evolution that ends with the AI infused Talkie Toaster? I’m sure that Red Dwarf fans will agree with me.