Drew Dombrowski

Gen X Dad, I Fix things. I make Art out of wood & iron.

[Drew Dombrowski @drewfixesit]

My latest staircase.

The treads have a ton of character, with the rot staining creating cool colors and the ray fleck popping on the quarter sawn piece’s.

White oak and epoxy.

The electrician on the job said bad ass!

Whatya think?

[0️⃣BlackBetty ⚓️ @BabyD1111229]

A police chief in Oshkosh, Wisconsin caught Flock lying to his city council, and killed the $8 billion surveillance company's contract less than a day after the council had approved it.

Here's how it happened.

The night before, Oshkosh's council was set to renew its deal with Flock Safety, the license plate camera company backed by a16z and Tiger Global.

One council member asked the Flock rep a plain yes-or-no question. Does this system build a heat map of everywhere a specific car travels over time?

Flock's rep said no.

The council believed him and voted 5 to 2 to renew. By the next morning, Chief Dean Smith's own officers had told him that answer was false.

So he pulled up the system himself. He watched it generate the exact heat map Flock had just sworn it couldn't make.

Then he walked into an emergency meeting and said it out loud: "Because of this misrepresentation, I can no longer recommend Flock."

Understand what a heat map is, because it's the whole trick.

Flock sells cities a tidy little story. A car drives by, we snap a photo, we read the plate, that's all it is.

But the same system can quietly average out where your car goes day after day and paint your routine onto a map.

Not one snapshot at one corner. Your pattern. Where you sleep, where you work, where you keep going back and how often.

A Flock employee later admitted on the record that the software does exactly that.
So the pitch and the product are two different things. The company wins the contract selling a plate reader, then sits on a moving map of your life.

The only reason Oshkosh caught it was one skeptical question and a police chief who bothered to check the answer.

The vote to rescind was 7 to 0. Unanimous.

Flock called the whole thing "one small misconception" from a long meeting and said it was disappointed nobody let it explain.

A surveillance company worth eight billion dollars got caught lying about whether it maps where you drive. Its defense was that the lie was small.

Oshkosh got one honest answer by accident. Congress can make it the rule.

https://t.co/DHLVhtVErs
🎩The Other 98%

[Drew Dombrowski @drewfixesit]

@SamaHoole That’s awesome, kale sucks.

[Sama Hoole @SamaHoole]

Kale became a superfood because a publicist in New York invented a trade association that did not exist.

Before all that, the biggest kale buyer in America was Pizza Hut. Not for the menu. They bought it by the ton, fourteen thousand pounds of it in 2012, and laid it round the salad bar to hide the ice. Nobody was meant to eat it. It was the doily.

Then a PR firm called My Young Auntie went to work. Hermès on the client list, Givenchy, and kale. She chalked it onto boards around Manhattan. Got it onto the menu of a restaurant she already represented. Had T-shirts printed, because obviously. And she set up the American Kale Association, website, Facebook page, thousands of followers, and then rang journalists to tell them she had been hired by the American Kale Association. Actual farming bodies said they had never heard of it. They had never heard of it because it was her, at a desk, in New York. She owned up in 2015 and called it the proudest campaign of her career, which is fair enough.

It went off like a rocket. Bon Appétit declared 2012 the Year of Kale. Dr Oz got hold of it. Paltrow made the chips on television. Beyoncé wore the word on a sweatshirt in a video, Michelle Obama ate the chips on Fallon, and Whole Foods was shifting twenty two thousand bunches a day.

A leaf that was hiding ice in 2011 was a moral position by 2014.

And the noble heritage everyone assumes it has is fodder. Kale is Brassica oleracea, same as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and sprouts, all of them the same wild cliff cabbage bent into different shapes over centuries. Kale is the one nobody bothered improving, because it was never for people. Britain grew it by the acre and called it cow cabbage. Fed it to stock to get them through winter. In Scotland it was so profoundly unremarkable that kail just meant dinner and the vegetable patch was the kailyard.

Then the nutrition, which is where it falls apart completely. A hundred grams is thirty five calories. You could eat a kilo of the stuff, which would take you most of an afternoon and do something permanent to your jaw, and still not catch up with two eggs. The iron is the non-haem sort your gut mostly turns away at the door. And the whole superfood case runs on nutrients per calorie, a ratio that automatically flatters anything containing no calories, so the winner is always going to be something nobody could live on. Congratulations to the kale.

The word means nothing, incidentally. Banned off packaging across Europe since 2007 unless you can back it with an authorised health claim, and nobody can, so it lives on menus and in headlines where the rules cannot reach.

It is also so unpleasant raw that somebody had to invent a technique. You massage it. Grown adults stand at a worktop giving a hand rub to a leaf until it is theoretically chewable, then eat it anyway, because a woman with a fashion client list decided in 2012 that they should.

Pizza Hut had it right the first time. It was decoration.

[Drew Dombrowski @drewfixesit]

@GigaBasedDad 👊

[Giga Based Dad @GigaBasedDad]

As a man it is your DUTY to become physically fit and strong.

Especially once you become a father, being fit and strong is about much more than "looking good" or even feeling good.

What are you capable of?

It is about capability. It is about responsibility. It is about making sure that when the people you love need you, your body is not the weakest link.

Your family depends on you in ways that are easy to overlook in ordinary life. Most days, nothing dramatic happens. You go to work, carry groceries, pick up your children, fix things around the house, and live your routine. But responsibility is not measured only by what is required of you on an average Tuesday. It is also measured by what you are capable of doing on the worst day of your life.

If your child falls into water, can you reach them and pull them out? If your wife is injured, can you carry her? If there is a fire, can you move quickly, force open a door, lift something heavy, or get your family out of danger? If someone you love needs help on a trail, on a roadside, during a storm, or in an emergency, are you physically capable of being useful?

You cannot prepare for every situation, but you can refuse to be unnecessarily helpless.

Strength is a form of preparedness.

A father should be able to lift, carry, run, climb, work, endure discomfort, and continue functioning when he is tired. You do not need to become a professional athlete or spend your life chasing a perfect physique. You need a body that works. Strong legs. A strong back. A capable heart and lungs. Enough mobility to move freely. Enough endurance that a few minutes of hard effort do not completely exhaust you.

There is also a quieter responsibility involved.

Your children are watching what adulthood looks like.

They notice whether Dad takes care of himself. They see whether discipline is something you merely talk about or something you actually practice. When you train despite not feeling like it, choose quality food, maintain your health, and continue challenging yourself as you age, you demonstrate that the body is something worth respecting and maintaining.

A father who trains is teaching his children without giving a lecture. Teaching by demonstration.

He is showing his sons that masculinity includes discipline, competence, and self control. He is showing his daughters what a capable, responsible man looks like. He is showing all of his children that growing older does not have to mean voluntarily becoming weak.

And strength is not merely about defending your family from another person. That is one of the least likely circumstances you will ever face. However, you should always be prepared for that too.

The enemy you are far more likely to encounter is time.

Your children will grow. They will want you to wrestle with them, throw a ball, hike, swim, build things, travel, move furniture, help with grandchildren, and remain part of their lives decades from now.

Being fit at 30 matters.

Being fit at 50 matters even more.

Being strong and mobile at 70 may determine whether you are still participating in your family's life or merely watching it from a chair.

You owe it to yourself to preserve that capability, but fatherhood gives the obligation greater weight. Other people have built part of their world around your continued presence.

You cannot guarantee that you will always be there. No one can.

But you can stack the odds.

Train your heart. Build muscle. Keep your waist under control. Eat real food. Sleep. Maintain your mobility. Carry heavy things. Do things that make you breathe hard. Keep enough strength in reserve that ordinary life feels easy and extraordinary situations remain possible.

Do not pursue fitness because you are terrified of weakness.

Pursue it because strength is valuable.

Your family deserves a husband and father who can protect them, work for them, play with them, carry them when necessary, and remain capable for as many years as possible.

Being strong will not make you a good man by itself.

But if you are responsible for other people, deliberately maintaining the strength to serve them is one of the ways you live that responsibility out.

Your body is part of the equipment you have been given to take care of your family.

Maintain it accordingly.

[UNSPOKEN @unspokenmind56]

"And God said love your enemy and I obeyed him and loved myself."

— Kahlil Gibran

[Drew Dombrowski @drewfixesit]

@LiveAncestral Yep, it’s crazy!

[Maxine Pye @LiveAncestral]

“Keto works, but you have to be able to never eat potatoes again.”

People would genuinely rather live with type 2 diabetes than give up potatoes.

That’s the bit I can’t get my head around.

We’re talking about a condition that can affect your eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels.

And the dealbreaker is a potato.

What matters more, your health or eating potatoes?

[gabrielle @legitimatetiger]

people always ask me how i maintain such a positive outlook and the honest answer they rarely like to hear is that it takes intention to be a positive person. it takes a certain stubbornness, an insistence upon inspiring yourself over and over again, a deliberate choosing of prettier thoughts that will actively organize your rendering of reality around hope and gratitude rather than scarcity and cynicism. it’s an act of defiance, almost. an unwillingness to surrender.

[Drew Dombrowski @drewfixesit]

@Holden_Culotta Nice, sign me up making nuclear subs sounds amazing!

[Holden Culotta @Holden_Culotta]

“Most people don’t realize how bad this is … ”

Shawn Ryan just had a “holy shit” moment.

Mike Rowe dropped stats that expose a massive ticking time bomb.

“There’s 7.5 million open jobs.”

“Most don’t require a 4-year degree.”

But “student debt is $1.7 trillion.”

“We’re lending money we don’t have to these same kids who are never going to be able to pay it back to train them for a bunch of jobs that don’t exist anymore.”

“It’s stupid.”

“You’ve got 6.9 million able-bodied men who are not only not working, they’re not looking for work.”

“That’s never happened.”

“We have a colossal imbalance in the workforce.”

“Not a week goes by, I’m not even exaggerating, that mikeroweWORKS doesn’t hear from the leader of some consequential industry or the CEO of a big company or some elected official who is really ringing the alarm bell.”

“Blue Forge Alliance, the company that oversees the maritime industrial base … they’re 15,000 companies who are collectively charged with delivering our nuclear-powered subs.”

“They called, they’re like: we’re having a hell of a time finding welders and electricians, can you help?”

“I said: maybe, how many you need?”

“400,000.”

@mikeroweworks @ShawnRyan762

[Historic Vids @historyinmemes]

“A crooked tree lives its own life, but a straight tree is turned into wood.”

- Chinese Proverb

The idea behind this proverb comes most clearly from the writings of Zhuangzi, one of the central thinkers of Daoism in the 4th century BCE.

In the Zhuangzi, a famous story tells of a large, twisted tree that carpenters ignore because its wood is unsuitable for construction. Precisely because it is considered “useless,” the tree is never cut down and survives to live out its natural life.

Zhuangzi uses the tree as a metaphor for human life. In Daoist thought, being “useful” by conventional standards can make a person vulnerable to exploitation, control, and exhaustion. Those who are unconventional, overlooked, or unwilling to fit society’s expectations may instead preserve their freedom and live on their own terms.

[🧬Maxpein🧬 @maximumpain333]

THE FOUR WIVES

There was a man with four wives. He loved his fourth wife the most and took a great care of her and gave her the best.

He also loved his third wife and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, he was always had a fear that she might runaway with some other man.

He loved his second wife too. Whenever he faced some problems, he always turned to his second wife and she would always help him out.

He did not love his first wife, though she loved him deeply, was very loyal to him and took great care of him. One day the man fell very ill and knew that he is going to die soon.

He told himself, "I have four wives with me. I will take one of them along with me when I die to keep company in my death."
Thus, he asked the fourth wife to die along with him and keep company. "No way!" she replied and walked away without another word.
He asked his third wife. She said "Life is so good over here. I'm going to remarry when you die".
He then asked his second wife. She said "I'm Sorry. I can't help you this time around. At the most I can only accompany you till your grave."

By now his heart sank and turned cold.
Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." the man looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the man said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"

Actually, we all have four wives in our lives.

a. The fourth wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.

b. The third wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they go to others.

c. The second wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

d. The first wife is our soul, neglected in our pursuit of material
wealth and pleasure. It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go!

~ Unknown

✨🙌🏽💫

[All day Astronomy @forallcurious]

Put August 12 in your phone now. Genuinely.

Before sunrise, six planets spread across the sky. Afternoon, the eclipse. After dark, the Perseids Meteor shower.

Four events on one day, NASA says, and the new moon that same date keeps the sky dark enough to actually see the meteors.

You don't need a telescope for most of it. A field, a coat, and twenty minutes for your eyes to adjust.

[Scott Cheggs @Scott__Cheggs]

How many times did you watch this ?

[Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck]

A massive vindication for every parent who has endured coercive, horrific medical treatment for refusing to give their babies the Hep B shot, among many others. The child vaccine schedule had become an insane $ making machine. Today the recommendation shifts from 72 to 11 shots.

[Dr Rudolf Steiner @RudolfStein2026]

The body you see in the mirror is not the real you.

Modern science tells you you're a biological machine made of flesh, chemicals, and neurons.

Dr Steiner says this is only the outermost layer of your being.
The physical body is the shell of a far greater spiritual organism.

Behind it stands the etheric body: the living force that builds, sustains, and remembers life.
It doesn't just keep you alive — it carries the history of humanity, the evolution of the Earth, and even memories of pre‑earthly existence.

When spiritual development awakens, this hidden body begins to reveal objective imaginations:
living pictures of ancient civilizations, previous incarnations, cosmic evolution, and the higher beings who shaped humanity long before history began.

Your astral body reveals something deeper still;
it exposes your moral condition.

A selfish person literally bears a darkened, chaotic astral body.
One who lives for truth, beauty, and the good of others transforms it into something radiant.

Spiritual perception is not unlocked by techniques alone.
It is earned through purification.
The quality of your consciousness determines the quality of the reality you can perceive.

Then comes the greatest mystery.

The human “I” is a spiritual force capable of expanding beyond the physical world.
As it develops, it enters higher realities and forms conscious relationships with entire hierarchies of spiritual beings.

Human consciousness was never meant to remain confined to ordinary waking life.

Even the soul evolves:
Feeling becomes intuition.
Thinking becomes inspiration.
Perception becomes imagination.
These are higher organs of cognition through which the invisible structure of reality becomes directly knowable.

And the physical world is not what it appears to be.
Animals, plants, minerals — these are condensed expressions of deeper spiritual activity.
Matter is not the foundation of existence.
Spirit is.

But this path demands caution.
The closer you come to higher perception, the more your hidden weaknesses rise up against you.

This is why Steiner insisted that mastery over thought, will, emotion, positivity, open mindedness, and inner harmony is not optional.
It is the price of safe spiritual development.

Human evolution is not finished.
Each person will either awaken to the spiritual dimensions of existence or become increasingly identified with a world hardening into lifeless materialism.

You were never meant to become a better machine.
You were meant to remember you are a cosmic being.

[🧬Maxpein🧬 @maximumpain333]

The quiet awakened introvert is often the most misunderstood, standing out as the black sheep of the herd. They are perceived as aloof, disconnected, or flawed due to their natural inclination towards solitude.

Ancient souls, whom process the world on a different wavelength, one that escapes those consumed by the chaos of daily life. Their perspective allows them to see the deeper truths that lie beneath the surface.

They speak from the language of the soul, draw nourishment from the rich depths of their inner worlds, the essence of being, the deep mysteries of existence, forbidden knowledge and communion with spirit

Solitude is their sacred sanctuary, where the soul awakens to its full radiance. They are never alone, the spirit world is a constant companion.

They are deep feelers and thinkers, keen observers, listeners, analyzers, and contemplators who are deeply attuned to their surroundings and navigate life with an evolved conscious awareness, discernment, introspection, intuition, and a unique perspective. They intuit and observe what majority miss, pursue what eludes societal norms, and simply cannot relate to the herd.

They seek deep, meaningful and authentic connections, that resonate on an intellectual and spiritual level. Though exceptional listeners, they only communicate with intentionality, their purpose not to fill silence or pass time, but to invite others into their inner world or to explore the nature of reality. They desire genuine presence, hoping for understanding and connection.

They yearn for connections that allow for comfortable silence, where the whispers of the soul are heard, and an energy exchange is felt.

Those whom are uneasy with silence, often find it challenging to relate to their essence and may even experience unease and apprehension in their company.

Society prioritizes superficiality and extroversion. The pressure to conform to this ideal leads to misconceptions about their personalities. Their extroverted counterparts who command attention and thrive in social settings may even attempt to change or "fix" them, convinced that they are flawed.

The world is a cacophony that drowns out the whispers of the soul and spirit: Relentless stimulation, useless information, meaningless chatter, and artificial distractions.

Societal norms and the noisy, and chaotic elements of the modern, artificial and shallow world feels suffocating to them, like poison seeping into their very soul.

They are not meant to fit in or conform. Their spirits rebel against the normalcy that society perpetuates.

Though the world may never understand them, and despite societal pressures to fit in, they forge their own paths, honoring their individuality over conformity, and embracing their quietness as a strength.

They understand what they possess is a gift that holds deep meaning, an inherent part of their core essence and the very nature of existence in the microcosm and macrocosm.

✨🙌🏾💫

[HealthRanger @HealthRanger]

Every single person who took the jab in the USA consented to it. Society told you that in order to fly, in order to enter a nursing home, in order to attend a university, in order to keep your job, in order to work on a movie set, etc., you had to get jabbed.

But no one threw you on the ground, handcuffed you and jabbed you against your will.

They just made it a choice that many people found extremely difficult: Either take the jab, or your life becomes incredibly inconvenient.

Most people chose convenience over safety. And they consented.

Since then, millions of people have learned (the hard way) a very valuable and expensive lesson: If society is forcing you to do something you don't want to do, it's probably not in your best interests to be obedient.

If you want to survive what's coming next, you need to prepare for widespread inconvenience as a necessary component of resistance against being exterminated.

PROTECTING YOUR LIFE WILL NOT BE "CONVENIENT."

It will be difficult by design.

[“Sudden And Unexpected” @toobaffled]

To everyone seething that the unvaccinated are finally allowed to breathe after years of your mockery, dismissal, and pure spite…
You didn’t just disagree with us.
A whole lot of you actively hoped that:

• We would be socially ostracised and shunned by friends and family

• We would be publicly named and shamed

• We would be banned from churches and places of worship

• We would be barred from restaurants, theatres, sporting events and public venues

• We would be prohibited from flying, taking trains or using public transport

• We would be excluded from schools, universities and campuses

• We would lose government benefits and access to public services

• We would lose our jobs

• We would be forced to pay higher health insurance premiums

• We would face legal penalties and fines for remaining unvaccinated

• We would be placed under stricter quarantine and movement restrictions

• Hospitals would refuse to treat us

• We would be sent to camps

• We would get seriously ill or die from COVID .. and that we “got what we deserved”

Now that the narrative is crumbling, some of the same people want to lecture us on how we should feel about being vindicated.

We were never the enemy.

You just chose to treat us like one.