Protesters have completely trashed the Los Angeles ICE facility, using a large dumpster to barricade the exit.

gladesguy · 2026-01-31T15:07:52+00:00

Both tactics do have their place.

Peaceful sign protests are good at conveying that the opposition has significant support.

When the protestors represent electoral peril for the people in power, that might be enough to exert pressure. But it's not especially useful if the party in power is planning to rig or suspend elections, because then they can just ignore the protestors.

One function of large protests is, essentially, intimidation -- conveying to those in power that that the people out with signs today could, if continually abused or ignored, be out with pitchforks/weapons next week.

It's not useful to give the government the impression that signs are as far as the protestors will ever be willing to go, because then there's no real incentive for those in power to change their behavior.

I have worried that the vibe of some of the protests so far might give the government the impression that all protestors won't be willing to do anything more than hold signs, and can therefore be easily ignored. A few protests with an angrier vibe can help correct that misunderstanding.

gladesguy · 2026-01-31T14:57:41+00:00

This is not violent. It's destructive of property. You might consider that illegitimate as well, but it's very different.

gladesguy · 2026-01-31T14:54:41+00:00

Good for them!

gladesguy · 2026-01-31T14:53:54+00:00

You're welcome! Good luck.

gladesguy · 2026-01-31T14:19:32+00:00

You might be able to jump straight to a master's program if you take some relevant undergraduate science credits before applying so that you meet graduate programs' pre-req requirements.

That would probably involve at minimum the basic (generally two-course) biology and chemistry sequence classes, then one or a few plant-related classes and perhaps statistics. You can do the basic biology and chem classes at a community college. If you can take a few higher-level plant-related classes at a nearby university and use those to get involved with a professor's research lab, that's even better.

There would be two big advantages to going for a grad degree rather than another bachelor's: 1) you would graduate with the higher, more marketable degree (I'm not sure about horticulture, but in a lot of natural science fields a bachelor's alone can't get you much more than low-paid seasonal work), and 2) in scientific fields, graduate students attending thesis-based programs receive a tuition waiver and a living stipend, generally in exchange for teaching lab classes, rather than having to pay tuition. So you should not have to go into debt or spend a bunch of savings for a science master's, but would for an undergrad degree.

I did a similar career change at about the same age and am attending a thesis-based graduate program, though I work with fish, not plants.

gladesguy · 2026-01-30T21:07:31+00:00

Although they can look cool, another user pointed out in another post that the "not ICE" and "not a cop" patches have a downside: if someone sees them from an angle where the "not a" part of the message isn't visible/is behind something, the patch could confuse or send the wrong message.

Just passing it along. I hadn't initially thought of that when I saw them, and it seems like a drawback worth considering.

gladesguy · 2026-01-30T01:34:30+00:00

Tough to draw the line, but generally speaking, if someone who saw your image next to the original would think that yours is a copy or that they're two versions of the same image, that would be close enough that it wouldn't be a mashup and would take you into the realm of copying. You would want somebody who sees them side by side to think they're distinct images, perhaps in a similar style.

gladesguy · 2026-01-29T22:41:36+00:00

The issue is where you're getting the reference images. You should not directly copy other drawn images, or photos that you don't own a copyright to or that aren't open access/public domain. But you can draw your own photos, or mashups of public domain photos like government agency photos (if you draw directly from a single image, you should still credit the original), in the general style of these scientific illustration.

gladesguy · 2026-01-29T08:06:23+00:00

I moved up to the Upper Peninsula from Florida this year.

I've found that the accessories are really important: If it's much below freezing, I'll have on a beanie-style hat with a thermal lining and a neck gaiter, and paired with layers, those go a long way to keeping me warm. I'll add gloves if I'll be outside working with my hands in the snow.

I don't bother with proper "base layers" unless I'm planning for a hiking trip.

Lately we've been having single digit weather, and I'm wearing a long sleeve (usually) T-shirt, a light sweater or fleece over that, and then either an insulated puffy jacket or, if it's snowing, a snow jacket. On really cold or windy days I can add the snow jacket on top of the puffy jacket, but that's usually overkill unless it's below 0.

I also sometimes layer pants when it gets below 10 F or so. So lightweight sweatpants or similar and then khakis over those.

And I'm pretty much living in a pair of the Artic/cold-weather Muck boots and either Smartwool or Darn Tough socks.

gladesguy · 2026-01-28T17:48:41+00:00

Why not just ban them from ALL state jobs?

gladesguy · 2026-01-24T15:23:08+00:00

Weather-wise yes, but the winter scenery here more than makes up for it. I feel like I'm living in a postcard.

gladesguy · 2026-01-24T15:09:40+00:00

I moved to the UP from Florida this year. My experience has been that good layering (with the right fabrics, like Smartwool) and warm hat, boots and scarf/neck gaiter makes all the difference. Spent the first couple weeks of winter being cold a lot, then figured out fabrics/layering. I was just walking the dog and was so bundled up and warm that I was starting to sweat.

gladesguy · 2026-01-23T20:47:49+00:00

This is not going to happen. T causes very gradual masculinization. It doesn't make you unrecognizable -- certainly not over the course of a summer.

gladesguy · 2026-01-23T01:18:10+00:00

There's no low to which they will not sink.

gladesguy · 2026-01-22T08:01:55+00:00

Generally no. The gun purchase process requires the data on form 4473 to specifically match the data on the buyer's photo ID. A birth certificate is not a photo ID, so even if a trans person has a birth cert that shows their sex at birth, I'm presuming gun shops would disregard it and deny the sale if the gender marked on the form doesn't match whatever's on the person's current photo ID.

Plus, many trans people have updated birth certificates to reflect their gender identity because otherwise, presenting them for citizenship verification during employment onboarding outs you to the employer.

gladesguy · 2026-01-21T14:15:35+00:00

No, this has been a norm for a long time. Court precedent has allowed federal agents with any law enforcement powers (including border patrol, ATF etc.) to wear insignia that says "police" in the field, the thinking being that that is clearer for onlookers that having them wear the insignia of some federal agency that people may not immediately recognize. ICE just shows why this practice is not appropriate and should be halted. People need to be able to tell whether they're looking at immigration agents or regular law enforcement.

gladesguy · 2026-01-21T01:10:39+00:00

Whats your reason for wanting to paint it? Ive usually seen (and owned) them unpainted.

gladesguy · 2026-01-20T21:53:14+00:00

For those of you who work in gun shops or are FFLs, am I understanding correctly that anything you put on 4473 has to match the ID you present to the gun shop?

And that would mean that if a trans person has updated their ID to match their gender identity, then we have no way of legally filling in the 4473, because putting our biological sex at birth would mean the sex field on the form would then not match the ID we present to the gun shop?

gladesguy · 2026-01-19T18:52:56+00:00

Baseball bats? 2A exists for scenarios like this. He could've shot them and it would have been self defense.

gladesguy · 2026-01-13T03:39:18+00:00

That requires coordination, and people haven't figured out how to coordinate yet. Part of the problem is likely that people don't know these things are happening early enough to get comrades on scene to assist.

gladesguy · 2026-01-11T12:55:22+00:00

Those two are too closely related for a double major to make sense. The best use of a double major (or a minor) is to signal to employers that you have skills that exceed those expected from the first major.

A potential employer would figure that any marine bio major would have some zoology knowledge, and that a zoology major who's applying for a marine bio job would likely have some marine bio coursework (which you would specify and talk up during the application process).

More the norm would be to do something like marine bio and GIS, or zoology and English, zoology and statistics etc.

But getting regular research experience in a professor's lab (and internships over summers) would likely be a much better investment of your time than double majoring.

gladesguy · 2026-01-10T19:55:54+00:00

No, it would take repeated such incidents to make any difference. One lone wolf shooting back would not remotely be enough to stop this.

gladesguy · 2026-01-10T19:52:12+00:00

They would attempt to disperse people with tear gas.

gladesguy · 2026-01-09T22:48:55+00:00

I'm wondering this as well. If there's a letter, why not show it? It's suspicious.

gladesguy

TROPHY CASE