I cannot feel it, the veil of black, a fine spray of white paint
Jan. 24th, 2026 10:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sovayI have been re-reading my second edition of Estel Eforgan's Leslie Howard: The Lost Actor (2010/13) which remains a wealth of otherwise inaccessible information with a close eye to the complex interplay of his biography and screen persona. I still disagree frequently with her criticism, but the detail of her research does things like offer a potential reconciliation between the family stories that Leslie was shell-shocked out of the First World War and the absence of his name from any records of active service in France: toward the end of his short stint as a second lieutenant with the Northamptonshire Yeomanry in the spring of 1916, his regiment was billeted with various divisions at Harponville, Ypres, and Arras, where it would have been possible to be officially non-combatant and still, in the immortal words of Frederic Manning, shelled to shit. Leslie himself never claimed to have seen combat, confiding in one of his broadcasts in 1940, "I am willing to let you figure out the degree of my senility by telling you that during most of the last war I was a very junior officer in a cavalry regiment. However, long before I got anywhere near the battlefront, everybody had settled down into trenches, and as horses are practically useless in trenches I found myself near Divisional Headquarters, pretty bored but pretty safe." His daughter records in her memoir A Quite Remarkable Father (1959) that his violent nightmares which could wake anyone within earshot were understood by his family to be connected to his war. She does not seem to have wondered the same about his self-admitted knack for dissociation or his rare but explosive losses of temper. Eforgan follows her in attributing his conviction of heart trouble to hypochondria; it occurred to me that pre-DSM, a person who regularly woke himself shouting and dreaded traveling alone, especially by train in case he shouted his fellow passengers awake with him, could be forgiven the common confusion of a panic for a heart attack. I found Leslie Ruth Dale-Harris née Howard through some cross-checks on Eforgan and the interstitial material contributed by Ronald Howard to Trivial Fond Records (1982) and her portrait of her father is fascinatingly the most fragile of the three, especially since much of what she regards affectionately as his eccentricities and his foibles looks very little out of the ordinary to me, e.g. a capacity for effortless, spellbinding charm right up until his social meter ran out and he had to leave his own party to fall asleep. A droll sense of humor on his own time, a steel-trap comfort with last-minute rewrites and improvisations, and he couldn't tell a formal joke to save his life without cracking himself up over it or lie without self-conscious same. Fifteen years after his death, his daughter still seems amazed that her famously disorganized father, the same nervous mess who had forgotten the ring at his own wedding and needed reminding of everything from call times to the necessity of food, a regular Menakhem-Mendl of the British film industry if she had just acknowledged his Jewishness—like his non-monogamy, it is elided with mid-century tact—threw himself so obstinately and intently into the war effort even when it ran him directly against the prejudices and proscriptions of the Ministry of Information and the BBC. He doesn't just start to look his age in the last years of his life, he looks recklessly burning himself to make his films and his broadcasts and his tours and his connections that Eforgan documents with the Free French and SOE. About a month into the Blitz, he noted with characteristic self-deprecation that after his London flat took a direct hit, "I decided to heed the exhortation of the popular song and 'get out of town'. In fact, I got out of town with a quite undignified haste, arguing to myself that one can prepare a film for production just as well in the country." He continued to travel weekly into London for work until his final tour for the British Council in 1943 and I don't know what he dreamed for any of it. R.I.P. ADH2*2, three cocktails put him literally on the floor.
I seem unable to think about movies except in this secondhand fashion, but I wrote another fill (AO3) for
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
threesentenceficathon. This year it's a lot of noir.It's a birthday!
Jan. 25th, 2026 06:29 amshireboundellynn_ithilwen! I hope Freya and Snješko have become friends, and will fill your special day with purrs and cuddles.
life is demanding without understanding
Jan. 25th, 2026 11:14 ampensnest*
I was doomscrolling yesterday afternoon and found a little video of a kitten making a lotta fuss. I turned the sound on, and Sable hurtled into the room with a face full of concern. She kept looking for the kitten in distress, and was most unimpressed when I showed her the phone.
Sometimes I wish she had a kitten of her own.
*
Yesterday we watched The Electric State, and I realised that I don't enjoy watching Chris Pratt. He always seems to play mostly-stupid, mostly-selfish characters who 'come good' at some point, and I find the type annoying. At least, I say 'always'—that probably isn't true, just the things I've seen him in. Is it type-casting? Is it pure coincidence that these are the things I've seen and I've missed the ones where he is a different kind of character? I don't know. Just, meh.
*
Things that made me LOL this week: Tom and Lorenzo describing Jason Statham as 'the gay porn version of Homer Simpson', which, yes. Yes he is.
*
Deke Sharon is coming to the UK. Deke Sharon is going to coach my chorus! Woohoohoo!
(no subject)
Jan. 25th, 2026 09:59 pmthawrecka...The answer to that is yes, actually. Massive Adventure Time marathon. Having many feelings about post-apocalyptic gender and identity, and also 🩷🖤bubbline, and also aaaah Huntress Wizard aaah!
I'd never actually finished it when it was on an Australian streaming service, so I finally got to see the final seasons and Marceline and Bubblegum getting back together ♥ and Finn growing up! I truly thought no finale could live up to ten seasons of build up, and I won't say it was perfect, but it was pretty good. I was moved! If you told me at the beginning of the series that I would end up with so many emotions about Ice King, I would not have believed you, but there's some very rich stuff there about loss of identity, especially with regards to his relationship with Betty.
Fionna and Cake also does some pretty interesting stuff, and is especially thoughtful about gender. To the point where I really liked it even though I didn't particularly like the main characters.
( Read more... )
Anyway, I had a great time with that. And literally the night after I finished this massive TV marathon I went out to see two movies.
First: Hamnet, which only just released here. It's interesting, though I don't think it was entirely successful for me. I have to admit I did laugh when he took his shirt off to go swimming and it turned out Will Shakespeare had abs. Not Marvel abs or anything, but certainly more visible abs than I would believe the average Elizabethan playwright to have.
My tears were not jerked out of me, alas, and there was so much shaky cam, but I did think the most interesting part was ( Read more... )
I feel like there used to be a lot more of this kind of film, so I like that it seems fairly successful, even if I wasn't nearly as moved as I wanted to be.
Then I went to see No Other Choice, which was kind of funny. I did laugh. I also didn't find it as funny as I wanted, but it certainly wasn't bad. It ends basically in exactly the place you think it will end, and I do find it an effective satire. Apparently it's loosely based on a Donald E. Westlake story? The best part was some of the comedy of errors at the start of his attempt at a murder spree, and then later it was kind of sad. I'm not sad I went to see it, anyway, even if I was very tired when the movie let out and the cinema had already closed down their escalators.
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Seattle Garden in A Mild January
Jan. 25th, 2026 09:36 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
balloon_juice_feed
I think we all need a reminder that Spring will return, eventually, so thank you Dan B:
There are some bright spots in the garden just as we’re getting some mild freezes. One hard freeze is forecast for Saturday, although 27° may not seem like a hard freeze to many folks especially those that are in the Path of Storm Fern and the polar vortex.
Top photo: Some single flowered Hellebores are showstoppers despite being less floofy.
More blooms are opening on the Hellebores. And the Arum italicum pictum hybrid sports spots from one very spotted parent.
This very pink double Hellebore is sporting some rotting flowers. It’s also got some bugs as you can see here on the upper right. It’s not my favorite so I’m not too concerned.
The Camellia ‘Buttermint’ is going full tilt.
The fallen petals are coating the ground. Reminds me of light snow.
Daphne odora, appropriately named except its perfume is very sweet. It is potent. One bud opened today so it won’t be long before full bloom / full perfume.
I believe this is Blushing Bridesmaid but Seriously Sunburned or Mortally Embarrassed might be more appropriate.
Wedding Party, the first to bloom, is going to town.
Foliage can be very important in winter and early Spring as these groundcovers demonstrate.
And it’s important to raise one’s gaze every once in a while, because there’s beauty in distant things. This is Glacier Peak, serene far back in the Cascades, so not well known to most Seattleites. It’s had massive eruptions that spread heavy ash all the way to western Ontario and sent 50 foot deep mud flows eighty miles to Puget Sound, where there are thousands of acres of Tulips in Spring and Snow Geese in winter.
***********
What’s going on in your gardens (planning / starting / indoor), this week?
The post Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Seattle Garden in A Mild January appeared first on Balloon Juice.
Late Night Open Thread
Jan. 25th, 2026 05:28 amballoon_juice_feedThis was a great clip from one of our best and brightest:
She understands the urgency of the moment. Another one of our rising stars, it turns out, was assaulted for… being brown in Trump’s Amerikkka:
Rep. Maxwell Frost said Saturday that he was assaulted at the Sundance Film Festival, linking to a news article describing a hate crime at a party for the film festival.
“Last night, I was assaulted by a man at Sundance Festival who told me that Trump was going to deport me before he punched me in the face,” Frost posted on social media. “He was heard screaming racist remarks as he drunkenly ran off. The individual was arrested and I am okay.”
Frost, a Florida Democrat, linked to a Variety story about the alleged incident, which said a party crasher allegedly “punched a person of color in the face” after telling people in the restroom that he is proud to be “white.”
Another report I read said the perp yelled about having Frost deported, reminiscent of the vitriol leveled at someone here in the comments (before being quickly banned). I’m so fucking sick of this shit. I am so sick and tired of these racist goons.
I think what I realized is, to some extent, I want my elected officials (and no you do not need to throw it in my face that I have the worst elected officials in the world as a West Virginian, by my elected officials I mean the Democrats) to be visibly fucking angry. I want them to visibly hate the fucking ground Republicans walk on. I want them to be red in the face angry like Barney Frank and others would have been. Just fucking livid. I want it to show. The next democratic presidential needs to be willing to pull the throat out of a ghoul like the hero in a monster movie. Fucking “Aldo Raine/William Sherman 2028!- This Time We Finish The Job!”
As has been noted, the most enraging thing about this is it would only take a fucking couple handfuls of elected Republicans could end all this. But they won’t, because they like it and they are paid to like it and they are awful fucking people. And there is nothing we can do to persuade them.
It’s just so surreal to live through this. Like, it is fucking happening. That thing we have all watched happen multiple times all over the world in other places but we never thought would happen here is happening. And soooo fucking many people seem to be not noticing at all. Joelle made me leave the house so we drove through Paradise Valley and went to a thrift shop and everywhere we went I saw people just walking around living their life like everything was normal and in my mind all I am thinking is how is everything just happening like normal and going about their business when they are executing people in the streets. Why is no one freaking the fuck out why are we not all out in the streets and even worse why do so many people seem to want this and think it is great?
It’s fucking crazy. It’s like watching those hospitals being built during covid in China in like 27 days or something and everyone over here is just dickdancing around and it doesn’t even make the nightly news over here. That thing we have worried about and made a bazillion scifi movies and books and there’s probably even a fucking musical and paid for everything Michael Crichton could have ever wanted, well that thing is happening and no one is noticing
Except for most of you guys. Thank god for that.
The post Late Night Open Thread appeared first on Balloon Juice.
In other news, I've been watching Killjoys with E
Jan. 30th, 2026 10:01 amconulyAlso, it is absolutely impossible to track down the music for that show. There was one song I liked, so I tried to look it up. No dice. I eventually gave in and searched up "Killjoys soundtrack" and then, armed with the song title and artist name, tried again. Still no luck. I did find an entirely different song that's apparently written by somebody with no internet presence at all. If it wasn't apparently their only song I'd suspect AI. That picture is AI, though, has "artificial" written all over it, in illegible text. Song's not too uncatchy, but - I honestly don't know why the music in Killjoys is so hard to find.
( Read more... )
A good day - until I looked at the news
Jan. 24th, 2026 09:40 pmsoniaI biked over to the ad hoc Balkan and Georgian singing group that meets once a month, and we successfully sang a bunch of songs, even ones that were newer to us or that we hadn't sung in a while, like Tsmindao Ghmerto. Felt great!
Then I got home and caught up on the news. Augh! Via
redbird, I was reminded about the Stand With Minnesota site with lots of organizations we can support to help their anti-ICE effort. I donated some money to Just The Pill.Adding Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center via
ofearthandstars in comments. They are listed under Organizations Doing Work On The Ground.On the plus side, I'm so glad we are collectively screaming about ICE, not just passively letting it happen. So grateful for the people bearing witness, physically resisting, and sending support from afar.
War for Ukraine Day 1,430: A Brief Saturday Night Update
Jan. 25th, 2026 03:36 amballoon_juice_feed
I know it’s been a long trying day for far too many, so I’m just going to run through the basics tonight.
My Ukrainian friend said this to me today and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
— Reid Southen (@rahll.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Apparently people are surprised that a man whose only friends on the world stage are a KGB agent & a North Korean Stalinist planned to unleash a murderous secret police on his population.
Looking back, there were signs.
— Darth Putin (@darthputinkgb.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 1:23 PM
President Zelenskyy turns 48 today!
Happy Birthday, Mr. President— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Here’s Russia’s butcher’s bill from its attacks on Ukraine last night/this morning:
Another fascist Russian Blitz air raid on Kyiv overnight: 1 killed, four injured, 6,000 buildings without heating, 60-70% of the city without power, some Ukrainian news channels claiming the electricity grid is on the point of collapse. Map shows tracks of Russian missiles and drones (yellow).
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 3:19 AM
Unfortunately, the news of people dying of carbon monoxide poisoning or the explosion of gas tanks isn’t rare these days. People were desperate to survive the subzero temperatures.
Make no mistake. They didn’t die of an accident. Damn terrorussia killed them.
— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 10:07 AM
President Zelenskyy’s did not make an address to the nation today. He did address Ukrainian intelligence officers and presented them with awards. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
The President Congratulated Intelligence Officers on the Day of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence and Presented Them with State Awards
24 January 2026 – 13:03
On the occasion of the Day of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated intelligence officers on their professional holiday, conferred senior military ranks, and presented the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, II and III class, and of Danylo Halytskyi, as well as the medals “For Military Service to Ukraine.”
The Head of State thanked the intelligence officers for their daily service, thanks to which Ukraine receives vital information and in-depth analysis, as well as for their combat work and deep strikes. According to the President, the potential of the Foreign Intelligence Service is far greater.
“Ukraine needs a dedicated, strong intelligence unit capable of operating abroad at a level comparable to the world’s best combat foreign intelligence agencies. Your perspective lies in external operations – not just influence, not just the collection of data or recruitment of agents, but real combat and other asymmetric operations that are essential to protecting Ukraine’s interests,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
The President separately highlighted the work of all components of the Defense Forces that are developing Ukraine’s deep-strike capabilities, noting that there are good targets and very strong results.
“All our intelligence services, the National Guard, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Armed Forces – all are working to destroy the enemy. Thank you for the fact that such a component has emerged within the Foreign Intelligence Service and has undergone such a profound transformation precisely during the full-scale war,” the Head of State said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed his gratitude for the intelligence data provided by the Foreign Intelligence Service, which helps inform important decision-making.
Georgia:
On the #InternationalDayOfEducation, Georgians are marching to defend the education system and the independence of universities.
Day 423 of daily, uninterrupted protests.
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 11:17 AM
Georgia continues to protest.
#GeorgiaProtests
Day 423— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Day 423 of #GeorgiaProtests
1. Further international isolation of the regime, which is an enabler and sanctions evasion tool in the Russia-Iran-China axis;
2. Further targeted sanctions. It works;
3. Aid to CSOs and independent media.Please amplify! Thanks!
Merab Metreveli
— Marika Mikiashvili
(@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 11:29 AM
A big turnout today on the 423rd consecutive day of the #GeorgiaProtests.
Despite arrests, intimidation, and winter cold, people are still showing up.— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 11:29 AM
Two days ago, Georgian Dream sent protesters to jail for peacefully standing on a sidewalk, claiming they “obstructed” pedestrians.
The streets are still filled today — day 423 of daily, uninterrupted protests in Georgia.
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 11:40 AM
For the 423rd day in a row, Georgians are in the streets across 8+ cities, resisting an illegitimate, pro-Russian regime and demanding a European future.
We continue to look to our allies abroad — especially for sanctions and international isolation of the regime.
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Italy:
Trump: NATO is nothing without America.
Meloni: Great. So what should Europe do then – shut down American bases, tear up trade deals, storm McDonald’s?
Balls of steel. Exactly what Europe needs.
— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 8:33 AM
Meloni: Italy was astonished by Trump’s remarks claiming NATO allies “stayed back” in Afghanistan.
NATO activated Article 5 in “an act of extraordinary solidarity” toward the United States, and Italy “responded immediately,” deploying thousands of troops and leading Regional Command West.
— MAKS 25
Italy paid “an unquestionable price: 53 fallen Italian soldiers and more than 700 injured.”
Statements minimising NATO countries’ contribution are “unacceptable,” and “friendship requires respect.”
— MAKS 25
India:
India’s drop in Russian oil purchases appears to be permanent.
2 major state-owned refineries, Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum, are replacing Russian oil with oil from Middle Eastern, African, and South American countries.
This will have a big impact on Russian war funding.
— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 3:23 AM
Back to Ukraine.
— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 9:18 AM
For decades, the world was told a story that Ukraine was a ‘divided’ or ‘weak’ nation. International observers often viewed us through a Russian lens, assuming we were fragmented by language or geography.
But as we have shown the world, our unity is our greatest strength.
Glory to Ukraine!
— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 9:18 AM
Abu Dhabi talks stalled on politics as Russia demands Ukraine leave unoccupied Donetsk, RBC-Ukraine reports. Military talks made more headway on troop separation, ceasefire monitoring, a coordination center, and defining violations.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 1:41 PM
— The Ukrainian Review (@theukrainianreview.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Ukrainian drone operators working as a duo smoked out and eliminated a Russian drone crew. One drone forced the occupier from cover, the other finished the job.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Tesla AI is clearly not trained for use in Ukraine. www.instagram.com/yellowtail_2…
—
Special Kherson Cat
A Russian suicidal frontal assault using a stripped-down Ural truck, roof and doors completely removed, loaded with infantry and sent straight toward the frontline.
—
Ukraine’s SBU Alpha unit has downed over 400 Russian Shahed drones in just months using interceptor drones, protecting cities and critical infrastructure.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 5:55 AM
Debris recovered after a Russian attack on Ukraine shows a Kh-101 cruise missile manufactured in 2026. The finding indicates that Russia continues producing and using new long range cruise missiles despite sanctions and years of war. #Ukraine
— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) January 24, 2026 at 8:10 AM
Russia is firing missiles straight off the assembly line, a sign stockpiles are gone, Ukraine’s sanctions envoy Vlasyuk says. Shaheds get the same treatment, launched as soon as they roll out.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Kyiv:
Tonight, in Kyiv.
No light? We’ll bring our own.
No heat? We’ll build a fire.We are Ukrainian. We will not be broken, and we will not surrender.
— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 3:10 PM
The first minutes after russian attack on Kyiv last night were published by the Patrol Police.
At one of the civilian enterprises, two workers were injured. Patrol officers quickly stopped the bleeding, applied tourniquets, and transported the victims to ambulances.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 12:47 PM
Last night, a russian attack on Kyiv struck a chocolate factory and killed a 48‑year‑old woman who worked there.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 4:49 AM
A Russian strike drone likely hit a residential complex in Kyiv during tonight’s overnight attack.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 2:44 AM
Irpin, Kyiv Oblast:
— MAKS 25
Kharkiv:
Russia struck Kharkiv 25 times last night, hitting 10 different locations.
This is one of them.
Yesterday, this was a home.
Today, it’s ruins.27 civilians were injured across the city.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 5:21 AM
Kharkiv was under Russian attack for several hours last night.
This morning, my best friend sent me a video of russian drone striking her apartment building just a few meters away from her flat.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 2:23 AM
I’m mortified and angry. I don’t know what she did to deserve such horror. I’m so happy she is okay. I hate russia with all my heart for doing this to her, and to all of us.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 2:23 AM
The number of people injured in russia’s nighttime attack on Kharkiv has risen to 31, including two children.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 6:44 AM
Russia’s overnight attack damaged 96 buildings in two districts of Kharkiv.
City services have boarded up over 660 shattered windows – 75% of the total.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast:
For the second day in a row, russia is attacking Sloviansk with FPV drones.
Today’s strike injured two girls — 14 and 15 years old.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Huliaipole, Zaporizhzhia Oblast:
A seven-man Russian assault group was captured by Ukrainian forces near Huliaipole on the Zaporizhzhia front.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Selidove, Russian occupied Donetsk Oblast:
Russian occupiers filmed Ukrainian drones hitting their positions, ammo storage, and equipment in occupied Selidove.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 3:03 AM
Penza Oblast, Russia:
An oil depot in russian city of Penza has been burning for over 30 hours
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 7:03 AM
Murmansk Oblast, Russia:
Meanwhile, in russian Murmansk and Severomorsk, the blackout has dragged on for more than a day. These stupid bastards can’t even fix their own mess, yet they’re busy trying to murder Ukrainians.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Belgorod Oblast, Russia:
More footage emerges from Belgorod, now reportedly under a combined drone and missile attack. A power plant reportedly hit. Bryansk also reportedly under missile strikes.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Smolensk Oblast, Russia:
Dorogobuzh .. Smolensk region .. reports of a fire at the CHEMICAL PLANT … there is also a thermal power station located in the city.. busy busy
#russianLosses
#UkraineNews— Baba Yaga Fèlla (@babayagafella.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 7:04 PM
— Baba Yaga Fèlla (@babayagafella.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Kursk Oblast, Russia:
Ukrainian aviation carried out a strike on a location used by Russians to launch attack drones. The strike took place in the northern direction, possibly Kursk region. The operation aimed at disrupting Russia’s ability to conduct drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. #Ukraine
— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) January 24, 2026 at 1:42 PM
Location: Tetkino (Теткино), Kursk Oblast, Russia at 51.27803, 34.28442 www.google.com/maps/place/5… #geoconfirmed-uaru
A Russian drone operator position is hit by a Ukrainian airstrike.— blinzka.bsky.social (@blinzka.bsky.social) January 24, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Bryansk Oblast, Russia:
Bryansk region
— MAKS 25
Oryol Oblast, Russia:
Oryol
— MAKS 25
Rostov Oblast, Russia:
Taganrog
— MAKS 25
Perm Krai, Russia:
In Zakamsk (Perm) blackout. In the city -23. Population – 130,000.
In this area is the Perm gunpowder plant. The reasons are being established.
— MAKS 25
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
There are no new Patron skeets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material.
Keeping the feeders filled in -20 degree weather
for displaced Ukrainian pups like this.
— Nate Mook (@natemook.bsky.social) January 19, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Open thread!
The post War for Ukraine Day 1,430: A Brief Saturday Night Update appeared first on Balloon Juice.
Let's try this again!
Jan. 24th, 2026 08:20 pmlupine_dreaming posting in addme_fandomSo, I made a DW a few years ago but fell off posting on it pretty quickly. I’ve made this new account in hopes of being more active!
Name: Eclipse
Age: 31
Country: USA
Subscription/Access Policy: My blog is 18+, as I only feel comfortable interacting with other adults, and I do sometimes discuss mature topics. Right now, all my journals are public, but it’s possible I may post some more personal stuff that I might feel more comfortable friends locking. We’ll have to see!
I like to post about: So far, I’m using my journal to crosspost my fanfic and original writing, as well as sharing some of my own rambly thoughts on fandom. My writing tends to focus on monster romance, horror, supernatural stuff, villains, or some combination thereof.
I’m sure I will continue posting my writing and talking about my fandoms, but it’s possible I may also post book reviews or movie reviews.
Main Fandoms: Horror fandom generally, but specifically the Alien movies and the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. My other main fandom interests are: the band Ghost, Beetlejuice, and Phantom of the Opera, as well as the monster romance community.
Other Fandoms: The Stargate franchise, Once Upon a Time, and the Batman villains fandom. I don’t talk about these things quite as much right now, but I still enjoy them and would be happy to follow you if you enjoy these things!
About Me/Other Info: I am in my “cringe but free” era, and as a result, have been writing more OC/self-insert x Canon Character fic – specifically OC x horror villain stuff. If that’s not your thing, this probably isn’t the right blog for you. ^^’
Also, while I generally do not care what people ship, I am very uncomfortable with lolisho.
Wormer, Garden, Wood
Jan. 24th, 2026 06:04 pmranunculusThere is a lot of grass trying desperately to go to seed in my garden. Grass is supposed to start in Nov-Dec, grow only a little until early March and go to seed in late April or May. Instead there is grass 2 feet tall now, in January. A lot of grass has already been pulled out of the garden and added to the compost. All that nice high-nitrogen grass has brought the compost up to a toasty 130F. At that temperature there are millions of little microscopic organisms happily chomping away at the pile, aided and abetted by fungi.
I went down to Winter Quarters today, got Firefly and gave her a good grooming. We had a short ride in the arena to review leg and weight aids. Afterward, back in Winter Quarters, I stopped to chat with Glenn who was there to exercise two horses. Such a nice person! Firefly had a little lesson in standing around waiting for me to finish talking. She is getting ever so much more patient. Before I let her loose I gave her a dose of worm medicine, it is past time to do so. The wormer was apple flavored which helped a little (horses often object quite forcefully to having nasty paste squirted into their mouth). Firefly barely put up any resistance. All the other horses on the place are getting their doses as well. Throughout everything Firefly was really good. She even stood quietly next to the fence as I crawled on her. (For non-horse riders: horses are smart. If they decide they don't want to be ridden they will step away from the fence or mounting block until trained to stand by it quietly. Horses that are ridden with kindness and sensitivity learn that they don't need to dislike being ridden - it might be nice or even fun!)
Tomorrow the plan is to take the tractor down and groom the arena. Also spray the edges again. Once that is done it will be time to hook up the post hole digger and see if it will dig some holes for me. Some places may be fine, others may have too much rock for the auger to work.
Finger seems to be healing nicely so far. In this case the no-antibiotics approach appears to have worked well. The nurse at the hospital cleaned the wound with a stream of saline solution, about 3 cups of it. The stitches were top dressed with a dab of Neosporin and a bandaid. So much better than automatically giving a week's worth of oral antibiotics to absolutely everyone.
Daily Happiness
Jan. 24th, 2026 06:34 pmtorachan2. I took four walks today and walked almost ten miles total. It's really nice weather for it. Mostly cool and overcast, and though it was a bit sunnier around lunchtime it still wasn't really hot or glaring.
3. I wanted to walk somewhere for lunch today and go somewhere new, so I was just poking around at the maps app and seeing what was around and remembered this place called Pita House down the street that we'd wanted to try. I took a look at their menu as I was walking down and saw they have cheesy shawarma fries and that locked my decision in lol.
They were amazing. I still have half of them left, as well as a beef kebab and some pita, because the fries were listed as an appetizer so I thought it might be small, but I was wrong. The fries alone would be good for two people and the kebab was overkill. But now I have something to eat tomorrow for lunch as well.
4. I haven't seen the granola bar guy at the farmers market in a few weeks but he was there today. He said he was there a couple weeks ago, but that must have been a week I missed. He's got a new flavor, peanut butter and chocolate, and it's really good. I also got a couple of my favorite coconut macadamia ones.
5. Look at this blob!
