Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
@mdgarfinkel.bsky.social
"Native New Yorker, adoptive Chicagoan, 24-year veteran of being a stranger in a strange land." Drosophila (fly) person. Childless cat man. Cinema buff. "Fascinated by everything except how to dress," as Matt Groening would put it.
Reposted by Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Reposted by Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
This is Oakley. He has an injury that requires physical therapy and at-home massages. Luckily, his cat sibling River has been training his whole life for this. 14/10 for both
November 10, 2025 at 11:58 PM
This is Oakley. He has an injury that requires physical therapy and at-home massages. Luckily, his cat sibling River has been training his whole life for this. 14/10 for both
Reposted by Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
... isn't that pre-calculus?
November 11, 2025 at 2:37 AM
... isn't that pre-calculus?
“I’m a doctor, not an actuary!” said the physician-senator from the great state of Kansas.
Tell me you don’t understand risk pools without telling me you don’t understand risk pools
November 10, 2025 at 5:17 PM
“I’m a doctor, not an actuary!” said the physician-senator from the great state of Kansas.
Truly, we have descended into Carl Sagan's prophetic _Demon-Haunted World._
“I’ve come to this anti-vax conference with a message: that we need to be more boldly anti-vax,” said Mark Gorton, the head of the MAHA Institute…(he) called for the elimination of the childhood vaccination schedule & removal of vaccines from the market.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
‘God is an anti-vaxxer’: Inside the conference celebrating RFK Jr.’s rise
An anti-vaccine conference in Austin celebrated Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rise to political power, highlighting his influence in Trump’s Washington.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Truly, we have descended into Carl Sagan's prophetic _Demon-Haunted World._
I’d love to know who was aboard the Cessna Citation business jet that whistled overhead yesterday while on final approach to #Bessemer ( #Alabama ) Regional Airport after a 3h25m flight that originated at #Hyannis, Cape Cod, #Massachusetts.
These new #FAA regs wouldn’t have stopped them.
These new #FAA regs wouldn’t have stopped them.
The Federal Aviation Administration will limit business jets and other private flights to some of the country’s largest airports to ease strains on air-traffic personnel.
FAA Limits Private Aircraft Flights at Major Airports
The restrictions will affect private jet flights at a dozen airports, including Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, and Chicago’s O’Hare, according to the National Business Aviation Association trade group.
on.wsj.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:56 PM
I’d love to know who was aboard the Cessna Citation business jet that whistled overhead yesterday while on final approach to #Bessemer ( #Alabama ) Regional Airport after a 3h25m flight that originated at #Hyannis, Cape Cod, #Massachusetts.
These new #FAA regs wouldn’t have stopped them.
These new #FAA regs wouldn’t have stopped them.
Reposted by Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
“I’m the XO of a unit called ECOMCON… and it’s the damndest thing. We train more for seizing than for preventing… like we had to take it back.”
— paraphrase from _Seven Days in May_
— paraphrase from _Seven Days in May_
November 9, 2025 at 1:24 PM
“I’m the XO of a unit called ECOMCON… and it’s the damndest thing. We train more for seizing than for preventing… like we had to take it back.”
— paraphrase from _Seven Days in May_
— paraphrase from _Seven Days in May_
Reposted by Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
oh yeah ok this is super cool
not only did they find a gynandromorph spider, it also turned out to be a new species! 🤯🧪🕷️
not only did they find a gynandromorph spider, it also turned out to be a new species! 🤯🧪🕷️
#Science #Entomology #Arachnids #Spiders
Scientists Found a Half-Male, Half-Female Spider in Thailand and It’s Fascinating www.zmescience.com/science/news...
Scientists Found a Half-Male, Half-Female Spider in Thailand and It’s Fascinating www.zmescience.com/science/news...
Scientists Found a Half-Male, Half-Female Spider in Thailand and It’s Fascinating
Scientists named the half-male, half-female spider after an One Piece anime character who can change sex at will.
www.zmescience.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:42 PM
oh yeah ok this is super cool
not only did they find a gynandromorph spider, it also turned out to be a new species! 🤯🧪🕷️
not only did they find a gynandromorph spider, it also turned out to be a new species! 🤯🧪🕷️
It’s #Caturday (still), so here is a #bicolor that I saw wandering the apartment complex earlier today.
There used to be a #cat colony on the grounds, but TNR & attrition depleted it long ago.
This one looks too healthy-looking to be feral or abandoned, but I honestly don’t know.
#catsofbluesky
There used to be a #cat colony on the grounds, but TNR & attrition depleted it long ago.
This one looks too healthy-looking to be feral or abandoned, but I honestly don’t know.
#catsofbluesky
November 9, 2025 at 1:32 AM
It’s #Caturday (still), so here is a #bicolor that I saw wandering the apartment complex earlier today.
There used to be a #cat colony on the grounds, but TNR & attrition depleted it long ago.
This one looks too healthy-looking to be feral or abandoned, but I honestly don’t know.
#catsofbluesky
There used to be a #cat colony on the grounds, but TNR & attrition depleted it long ago.
This one looks too healthy-looking to be feral or abandoned, but I honestly don’t know.
#catsofbluesky
Reposted by Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
Socialism is what they called public power.
Socialism is what they called social security.
Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations.
Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.
—Harry Truman, 1952
Socialism is what they called social security.
Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations.
Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.
—Harry Truman, 1952
November 7, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Socialism is what they called public power.
Socialism is what they called social security.
Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations.
Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.
—Harry Truman, 1952
Socialism is what they called social security.
Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations.
Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.
—Harry Truman, 1952
Reposted by Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
Madre de Dios. A Redditor just asked for help identifying this obscure object.
November 7, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Madre de Dios. A Redditor just asked for help identifying this obscure object.
He is running for #Alabama governor next year and has already raised >$7.5 million in the past few months. He’s hoping to bury the competition in the Republican primary, assumes he’ll win the general in a walk, and too few people care that he _still_ hasn’t established legal residency in the state.
Tuberville: “We just saw what happened in NY. We lost NY. It will be completely Muslim in 3-4 years. That’s what they want. And it’s going to spread throughout the country.”
November 7, 2025 at 8:03 PM
He is running for #Alabama governor next year and has already raised >$7.5 million in the past few months. He’s hoping to bury the competition in the Republican primary, assumes he’ll win the general in a walk, and too few people care that he _still_ hasn’t established legal residency in the state.
Reposted by Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
Like George Wallace, Mike Johnson is standing in the doorway, blocking the entrance of a minority woman into an institution. And Mike Johnson's been doing it for 46 days now.
The House will officially remain in recess for the 8th week in a row next week, per direction of the Speaker just now
November 7, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Like George Wallace, Mike Johnson is standing in the doorway, blocking the entrance of a minority woman into an institution. And Mike Johnson's been doing it for 46 days now.
Trump will leave DC early, so he can nap out of cameras’ view.
Trump Will Leave DC Early for Palm Beach Amid Record Shutdown
Trump to party in Florida as poor families starve
meidasnews.com/news/trump-w...
Trump to party in Florida as poor families starve
meidasnews.com/news/trump-w...
November 7, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Trump will leave DC early, so he can nap out of cameras’ view.
Reposted by Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
UAB by night.
This city has grown on me :)
This city has grown on me :)
November 7, 2025 at 12:36 PM
UAB by night.
This city has grown on me :)
This city has grown on me :)
Damn… I just made this exact comparison in text-messaging & email to a bunch of friends.
@RobertKennedyJr ran out of the room so fast I thought he was @HawleyMO
November 6, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Damn… I just made this exact comparison in text-messaging & email to a bunch of friends.
“No one is too far to the right for the neo-Nazis in my party,” is the subtext for Squeaker of the House Mike Johnson.
She's 85 years old. That might have something to do with retiring.
November 6, 2025 at 4:41 PM
“No one is too far to the right for the neo-Nazis in my party,” is the subtext for Squeaker of the House Mike Johnson.
“Him” in context is NIH director Jay Bhattacharya.
Perhaps I need to introduce him to some "Gold Standard Leadership" principles.
[1] Integrity: The Foundation of Trust
[2] Decisiveness: Cutting Through Complexity
[3] Empathy: The Human Side of Leadership
[4] Adaptability: Leading Through Uncertainty
[5] Vision: Guiding Teams Toward the Future
[1] Integrity: The Foundation of Trust
[2] Decisiveness: Cutting Through Complexity
[3] Empathy: The Human Side of Leadership
[4] Adaptability: Leading Through Uncertainty
[5] Vision: Guiding Teams Toward the Future
November 6, 2025 at 4:27 PM
“Him” in context is NIH director Jay Bhattacharya.
Reposted by Mark D. Garfinkel, Ph.D.
What is happening at Goddard is absolutely devastating. We are losing history. We are losing an incredible amount of human talent, skill, and knowledge. Rebuilding it will be impossible same for same. Industry can not absorb the people or the equipment. This is undoing space science in the US.
Goddard spacecraft engineer: "I think it just kind of speaks to the atmosphere of the agency and the nation, where people are like, 'Well, laws don't matter for the people at the top anymore.'"
NASA is sinking its flagship science center during the government shutdown — and may be breaking the law in the process, critics say
"There is just a general acknowledgement that a lot of what is happening is illegal…"
www.space.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:43 PM
What is happening at Goddard is absolutely devastating. We are losing history. We are losing an incredible amount of human talent, skill, and knowledge. Rebuilding it will be impossible same for same. Industry can not absorb the people or the equipment. This is undoing space science in the US.
Tommy #Tuberville competes with Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) & Ron Johnson (R-WI) for the title of "dumbest US senator."
He's leaving the #Senate to run for #Alabama #governor in 2026. Woe us.
He's got who-knows-how-many false _casus belli_ still in him, with one year to go.
www.al.com/politics/202...
He's leaving the #Senate to run for #Alabama #governor in 2026. Woe us.
He's got who-knows-how-many false _casus belli_ still in him, with one year to go.
www.al.com/politics/202...
Tuberville backs sending troops into Africa’s most populous nation over alleged Christian genocide
“It wouldn’t be like going into Russia, China, North Korea, or Iran,’ Tuberville said.
“This would be helping innocent people."
www.al.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Tommy #Tuberville competes with Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) & Ron Johnson (R-WI) for the title of "dumbest US senator."
He's leaving the #Senate to run for #Alabama #governor in 2026. Woe us.
He's got who-knows-how-many false _casus belli_ still in him, with one year to go.
www.al.com/politics/202...
He's leaving the #Senate to run for #Alabama #governor in 2026. Woe us.
He's got who-knows-how-many false _casus belli_ still in him, with one year to go.
www.al.com/politics/202...
Mo Brooks was the #Alabama #congressman who, on #Jan6, spoke at the Ellipse & egged on the crowd with his "patriots are taking names and kicking ass" remark.
Now he is opposed to the man he helped subvert an election…
…and @al.com chose to publish his opinion piece. ⬇️
www.al.com/politics/202...
Now he is opposed to the man he helped subvert an election…
…and @al.com chose to publish his opinion piece. ⬇️
www.al.com/politics/202...
Is the GOP tired of all Trump’s winning yet?
Oh how I yearn for all those wins Trump promises. But so far, on election days, Trump has been 0-4.
www.al.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Mo Brooks was the #Alabama #congressman who, on #Jan6, spoke at the Ellipse & egged on the crowd with his "patriots are taking names and kicking ass" remark.
Now he is opposed to the man he helped subvert an election…
…and @al.com chose to publish his opinion piece. ⬇️
www.al.com/politics/202...
Now he is opposed to the man he helped subvert an election…
…and @al.com chose to publish his opinion piece. ⬇️
www.al.com/politics/202...
My local US Post Office is flying the US flag at half-mast. I know Dick Cheney died, but I find it hard to believe that: (a) this administration issued an order to honor him that way, and (b) that if it had done so, I would have missed the announcement.
November 5, 2025 at 7:42 PM
My local US Post Office is flying the US flag at half-mast. I know Dick Cheney died, but I find it hard to believe that: (a) this administration issued an order to honor him that way, and (b) that if it had done so, I would have missed the announcement.
I served as a poll watcher last year. One of the sites had a big brass bell they rung every time to accompany a new first-time voter.
There was one such guy — a gym rat with a “Donald Pump” t-shirt — whose ballot was rejected by the scanner.
There was one such guy — a gym rat with a “Donald Pump” t-shirt — whose ballot was rejected by the scanner.
Did I announce “WE GOT A FIRST TIME VOTER HERE!” as I walked into the polling place with my 18yo daughter, prompting a roomful of election workers to clap and cheer?
a man with glasses and a beard is making a face .
ALT: a man with glasses and a beard is making a face .
media.tenor.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:37 PM
I served as a poll watcher last year. One of the sites had a big brass bell they rung every time to accompany a new first-time voter.
There was one such guy — a gym rat with a “Donald Pump” t-shirt — whose ballot was rejected by the scanner.
There was one such guy — a gym rat with a “Donald Pump” t-shirt — whose ballot was rejected by the scanner.