Updates from Iran

Some major updates from people in Iran and leaks:

• While the official number of deaths is stated to be between 2,000-3,000, people estimate that the actual number of deaths is estimated to be at least 12,000. Videos show bodies all over the streets and body bags just lying on the ground.
• Doctors are reporting being overwhelmed by the casualties.
• The regime is trying to arrest injured protesters in the hospital.
• The regime is charging money to return the bodies of murdered protesters to their families. (This practice is already disgusting, but imagine charging money at their rates in Iran's current economic status when people can barely afford bread.)
• People are reporting that people from the regime's affiliates and proxy groups in the region have already been brought in to help with the suppression.
• Messages being sent from Iran are saying that curfews are being enforced and that the regime's forces, including these proxies, are shooting indiscriminately at will.
• Executions will really start tomorrow.
• The regime is doing whatever it can to cut off people from the world. It's very difficult for people to contact family in Iran. There is still an internet blackout.
• Despite this, there is still some footage coming out that people are still willing to risk it all and fight.

This is a humanitarian crisis. The people of Iran need your support more than ever. Amplify their voices, and don't let the regime get away with its crimes in darkness. Hold your governments and media to account to make sure that they support the people of Iran and not support the regime.

All eyes on Iran.

Another update: While we still have a virtual information blackout, the death count will probably be even higher than 12,000. There's no way of knowing until the internet comes back (hopefully when the regime falls).

It's hard to know what the regime will do with the executions. The regime claims that Erfan Soltani is not sentenced to death after all the international pressure, but that doesn't mean they won't try to kill him and other imprisoned protesters when people look away. In fact, it doesn't even need "executions" to kill them; the torture, abuse, and neglect in prisons is often another way that prisoners are killed.

The regime is spreading misinformation about what's happening by minimizing the death toll and trying to paint the protesters as violent thugs and murderers. It obviously goes without saying that this is all categorically false.

ALT

14/01/2026
Doctor Beverly Crusher
@SpaceDocMom
Incoming Transmission…

Take a deep breath, unclench your jaw, take your medicines, hydrate, get some rest, and remember that you are important and loved by more people than ever get around to telling you how much you mean to them. emojis: black heart, blue heart, masked, spoon

In light of the DOJ releasing less than 1% of the totality of the documents it holds relating to the Jeffrey Epstein situation, even several weeks after the date it was legally required to release the documentation in full with redactions made only to protect victims and key witnesses, a bipartisan effort has begun in Congress to call for an outside agency to manage this situation. The DOJ has been deemed unreliable to handle this case. Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie have penned a letter to a New York judge, asking for the appointment of an independent monitor to ensure that records are released, without unnecessary redactions, as soon as possible

Below, I will provide a call script that can double as an email template that will call on your legislators to sign onto that letter and to pursue all legal action available to Congress to compel the DOJ to comply, and to hold non-compliant members of the DOJ accountable for their actions

Find your congresspeople

Script/Template:

[If calling] Hello, my name is [blank] and I am a constituent calling from [address]. [If you want to hear back from their office, you may also provide your email address. Not all offices will email you back]

I am reaching out today to demand that [Representative/Senator blank] sign on in support of the bipartisan letter penned by Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie demanding an independent monitor overseeing the Department of Justice in relation to the release of the Epstein Files. By releasing less than 1% of the documents that they were legally required to release, weeks after their deadline, the DOJ has shown that they cannot be trusted with this task. Further, I demand that the [Representative/Senator] use every tool at Congress' disposal to discipline members of the DOJ who have broken the law and worked to protect the predators in our government. It is not enough for them to correct their error now, not after damage has been done. They need to face consequences for their illegal actions. It is the [Representative's/Senator's] job to ensure that happens.

[If calling] Thank you for your time and consideration. Have a good day.

End script.

Added to the Queue January 12th, 2026

Please read this. Over the past few weeks, russians have been putting a lot of effort into destroying Ukrainian energy and heating infrastructure with the goal of freezing civilians in their homes, as we are experiencing an abnormally cold winter, with temperatures reaching as low as -20°C. This is done with genocidal intent. It’s a war crime, and it barely reaches the news outside the country, if at all. They have been doing this for years to different degrees of severity, destroying the Kakhovka dam among other things, causing humanitarian disasters across the country, with little to no condemnation from the rest of the world. But now we might be at a critical point.

I honestly feel devastated. It’s clear that we’re severely lacking air defence capabilities. I keep hearing that our “allies” are delaying shipments, so our guys don’t have enough to intercept these missiles. Only ~20% of Kyiv has electricity at this moment, after last night’s attack. I don’t want to freeze to death. There are reports of another attack being prepared as we speak, using strategic aviation. Many homes have been without heating for days. People in high-rise buildings can’t use elevators and have no running water.

I wasn’t able to complete a single artwork in the first two weeks of 2026 - this simply feels like a waste of life. Every time I get electricity, I spend it on basic survival: cooking hot food, charging devices, not drawing, not working. I’ve been robbed of opportunities for four damned years. Everything feels pointless.

I don’t know if we’ll be able to withstand this. Those monsters are throwing everything at us - hundreds of murderous drones, ballistics, cruise missiles. Unable to break Ukrainians even with daily bombings, they’re counting on another humanitarian disaster - just freezing people in their own homes.

Please don’t stay silent. Please don’t ignore this. Ukraine is not a “trendy” topic anymore. Some people in Europe don’t even know if the war is still ongoing, while we stand as a meat shield for the rest of this continent, our lives completely worthless to the rest of the world.

And please remember, this is done with either full support or silent approval from the russian population, paid for by their taxes and by everyone who pays them from abroad. They don’t protest, they don’t care, they want us all to die. Please don’t ignore this nightmare, and please don’t contribute to it. It matters.

____________________

If you want to support me and my art - my tip jars are HERE along with links to trusted foundations to support Ukraine.

World leaders never should have let this go on this long. Russia doesn’t want peace. They want the Soviet Union back. They will not stop with Ukraine.

Save Ukraine and Palestine

I am so damn pleased with the Sedgwick County Zoo media team, y’all. They just dropped a stellar blog piece on why GenAI slop videos of animals are such a problem - and how to identify them!

This is the first time I’ve ever seen a zoo or aquarium in the United States speak up broadly about AI. (The only times I can think of any comment at all has maybe individual instances when a deepfake of “their” animal escaping is circulating.) And they did a great job with this piece! It’s succinct, easy to read, and written in a way that doesn’t shame people for engaging with AI content before they knew better.

I think this is exactly the type of resource needed for sending to that family member or friend we all have - the one who isn’t aware of the slop issue and constantly sends you clearly fake videos because they’re “so cute.”

I’d love to have Sedgwick get some public positive reinforcement for taking this stance. If you’re so inclined, a comment on their FB post would be great as it’s likely they’re going to get shit for this from sloppers & co. We really do need animal organizations to stand up for accurate, real animal content and this is a great first step in that direction.

Here's the TL;DR of the article for people who don't want to click links:

Why is this a problem?

1. Distorted expectations of animal behavior. AI videos can show animals doing things they would never do in a healthy, ethical setting.
2. Confusion about what animals need to thrive. When you see wild animals acting like pets or performing human-like behaviors, it becomes easier to forget that they have complex needs that can’t be met in someone’s backyard.
3. Attention pulled away from real conservation stories. Every minute you spend watching and sharing AI videos is a minute you might have spent learning about endangered species, habitat protection, or real conservation projects that need your help.
4. Lower trust in authentic photos and videos. When people start to wonder if everything is fake, it can undermine trust – even in legitimate fieldwork photos, zoo updates, or scientific documentation.

How to tell if an animal video might be AI.

1. Read the caption and account info. Responsible organizations usually provide context about the species, location and a short explanation of what's happening in the video.
2. Red flags include: no location, facility tag or credit to a photographer, zoo or organization. No description beyond "OMG SO CUTE!". A username and bio that are vague, spammy or focused only on viral animal clips with no educational mission.

How to avoid AI content.

1. Curate who you follow. Curate a collection trusted accounts: accredited zoos and aquariums, conservation organizations and field researchers, educators and photographers who are transparent about how they create their images.
2. Look for transparency and labeling. Look for labels such as “AI-generated”, “Concept illustration”, “Sora”, and “altered or synthetic content”.
3. Ask questions. Try politely commenting "Is this AI- generated or a real animal?" "Where was this filmed?" "What organization is caring for this animal?" A responsible account will either answer or clarify. Silence, deleted comments, or rude replies are signals that you may want to move on.
4. Balance your feed with real-world experiences. Visit accredited zoos and aquariums. Attend keeper chats, behind-the-scenes tours, or conservation lectures. Support local conservation projects and habitat restoration events.

When I see the posts about Iranians being shot and killed for freedom get barely 100 notes, I feel like there is no nation lonelier than us.

this got 100+ notes, can we get it to 200+

The men and women of Iran are protesting and rebelling against an unelected government that has brutalised them for decades.

I recognise their courage and hope that this time it is rewarded.

i very rarely post or reblog something about ukraine here but it's not because what is happening does not affect me. it affects me too much.

the enormity of the tragedy that has happened, is happening, will, for the foreseeable future, continue to happen is too much for me to fit into myself. how could i even begin to swallow it. how could anyone.

i feel for every person still living under air raids because they are not afforded the luxury i have, the safety, but also the ability to try and wrangle personal everyday problems and letting the war fade into the background.

and yet even for me, someone so removed and so privileged, it is ever present. i used to check if my old flat is still standing after major shellings. now i just check in with my family. every alert, every story, every tragedy is too much. i have nothing to say not because there is nothing, but because what is there is so enormous i couldn't even begin to describe it.

please don't forget ukraine. please listen to what ukrainians have to say because it does not come lightly.

I told him that outdoor time is over

get down from there, boy! we’re going in!