Melanie Scheller
@melaniescheller.com
Writer. Childless cat lady with attitude. Happy to call the NC mountains home. Fiercely proud of my rural Southern heritage. Defender of democracy, banana pudding, and the Oxford comma.
Pinned
Melanie Scheller
@melaniescheller.com
· Dec 6
A few of my favorite things: writing children's books, orange tabby cats, reading children's books, old-time music, tuxedo cats, collage art, gray tabby cats, quilt shows, black cats, waterfalls, blue-gray cats, sewing, tortoiseshell cats, bluegrass music, white cats, craft fairs, calico cats.
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
From one of our readers
October 1, 2026 at 2:00 PM
From one of our readers
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
The American Bar Association laid out the receipts.
Big donors get appointments. Big money flows in, investigations disappear, pardons follow, regulations loosen and foreign governments get favorable treatment.
The article calls it an “unprecedented pay-to-play culture.”
#PayToPlayPresident
Big donors get appointments. Big money flows in, investigations disappear, pardons follow, regulations loosen and foreign governments get favorable treatment.
The article calls it an “unprecedented pay-to-play culture.”
#PayToPlayPresident
October 1, 2026 at 6:03 PM
The American Bar Association laid out the receipts.
Big donors get appointments. Big money flows in, investigations disappear, pardons follow, regulations loosen and foreign governments get favorable treatment.
The article calls it an “unprecedented pay-to-play culture.”
#PayToPlayPresident
Big donors get appointments. Big money flows in, investigations disappear, pardons follow, regulations loosen and foreign governments get favorable treatment.
The article calls it an “unprecedented pay-to-play culture.”
#PayToPlayPresident
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
🚨Emergency reposting, sharing request
Please help lovely Dapper!
Thank you.
Please help lovely Dapper!
Thank you.
🆘CODE RED - CRITICAL🆘"AWAITING EUTHANASIA"🆘
🆘SHE WILL NOT BE RELISTED🆘🙏🏾PLEASE RE-POST🆘
💘Sweet 10YO #Senior Black & White Kitty DAPPER💘
🚨SHE NEEDS #Adoption #Rescue #Foster NOW!🚨
▶️265774 www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=...
🙏🏽 #AdoptDontShop
#Queens #NYCACC #Cats #CatsOfBluesky
🆘SHE WILL NOT BE RELISTED🆘🙏🏾PLEASE RE-POST🆘
💘Sweet 10YO #Senior Black & White Kitty DAPPER💘
🚨SHE NEEDS #Adoption #Rescue #Foster NOW!🚨
▶️265774 www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=...
🙏🏽 #AdoptDontShop
#Queens #NYCACC #Cats #CatsOfBluesky
October 1, 2026 at 6:35 PM
🚨Emergency reposting, sharing request
Please help lovely Dapper!
Thank you.
Please help lovely Dapper!
Thank you.
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
Maybe time for those who don't experience this directly to return to this thread (which I posted when PTSD was being weaponized to relieve Graham Platner of responsibility for his actions).
Since PTSD is being invoked to excuse any and all abuse and misconduct, let us acknowledge where it is most common.
.... From my book Recollections of My Nonexistence.
.... From my book Recollections of My Nonexistence.
September 30, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Maybe time for those who don't experience this directly to return to this thread (which I posted when PTSD was being weaponized to relieve Graham Platner of responsibility for his actions).
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
So-called AI detection tools might be an even bigger scurge than AI.
I was talking today with a student (a senior), who shared that they now have to spend time "dumbing down" their papers--shortening sentences, removing advanced vocab and punctuation--because otherwise they get flagged as "AI."
I was talking today with a student (a senior), who shared that they now have to spend time "dumbing down" their papers--shortening sentences, removing advanced vocab and punctuation--because otherwise they get flagged as "AI."
September 30, 2026 at 1:58 AM
So-called AI detection tools might be an even bigger scurge than AI.
I was talking today with a student (a senior), who shared that they now have to spend time "dumbing down" their papers--shortening sentences, removing advanced vocab and punctuation--because otherwise they get flagged as "AI."
I was talking today with a student (a senior), who shared that they now have to spend time "dumbing down" their papers--shortening sentences, removing advanced vocab and punctuation--because otherwise they get flagged as "AI."
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
No AI Government Guardrails: if we leave it up to Trump
Listen to this man 🤦🏽♂️
"They're really going to be policing each other... It's going to be very, very safe and there's a self-policing and there's also a group policing and it's going to be great."
Listen to this man 🤦🏽♂️
"They're really going to be policing each other... It's going to be very, very safe and there's a self-policing and there's also a group policing and it's going to be great."
September 30, 2026 at 3:25 AM
No AI Government Guardrails: if we leave it up to Trump
Listen to this man 🤦🏽♂️
"They're really going to be policing each other... It's going to be very, very safe and there's a self-policing and there's also a group policing and it's going to be great."
Listen to this man 🤦🏽♂️
"They're really going to be policing each other... It's going to be very, very safe and there's a self-policing and there's also a group policing and it's going to be great."
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
Wait… but Trump said our concerns about AI taking over the world and destroying humanity are a “HOAX.”
And efforts to restrict AI and data centers are part of a “SICK conspiracy.”
And efforts to restrict AI and data centers are part of a “SICK conspiracy.”
September 30, 2026 at 12:13 PM
Wait… but Trump said our concerns about AI taking over the world and destroying humanity are a “HOAX.”
And efforts to restrict AI and data centers are part of a “SICK conspiracy.”
And efforts to restrict AI and data centers are part of a “SICK conspiracy.”
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
I had a good visit in Canton for a meet and greet with folks there. This town has been through so much since Helene. Every time I'm here I'm reminded how much strength and resilience is in this community. Thank you to everyone who came out to talk with me.
#NC11 #WNC #WesternNC
#NC11 #WNC #WesternNC
September 30, 2026 at 1:36 PM
I had a good visit in Canton for a meet and greet with folks there. This town has been through so much since Helene. Every time I'm here I'm reminded how much strength and resilience is in this community. Thank you to everyone who came out to talk with me.
#NC11 #WNC #WesternNC
#NC11 #WNC #WesternNC
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
Basic income isn't a handout. It's a head start.
🗨 Arlene Dickinson
🗨 Arlene Dickinson
September 30, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Basic income isn't a handout. It's a head start.
🗨 Arlene Dickinson
🗨 Arlene Dickinson
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
Despite their name, work requirements don’t help folks stay employed. Instead, they actually increase the instability that those experiencing poverty already face, by creating onerous hoops to jump through.
https://guaranteedincomeworks.substack.com/p/work-requirements-dont-work
https://guaranteedincomeworks.substack.com/p/work-requirements-dont-work
Work Requirements Don’t Work
Unconditional cash helps people get to work and stay working
guaranteedincomeworks.substack.com
September 29, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Despite their name, work requirements don’t help folks stay employed. Instead, they actually increase the instability that those experiencing poverty already face, by creating onerous hoops to jump through.
https://guaranteedincomeworks.substack.com/p/work-requirements-dont-work
https://guaranteedincomeworks.substack.com/p/work-requirements-dont-work
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
I got one of those. Do not get into their greedy maw. Just sorting out my Anthropic settlement stuff now. (It's complicated, at least if you're me.)
For authors: beware emails or other approaches by an outfit called ClaimsHero offering to represent you in suing for use of your works to train AI without your knowledge.
authorsguild.org/news/claimsh...
authorsguild.org/news/claimsh...
Predatory Opt-Out Scheme ClaimsHero Targets Anthropic Settlement Participants: What Authors Need to Know
In recent weeks, a third-party law firm, ClaimsHero, has launched an aggressive online campaign urging authors to opt out of the Bartz v. Anthropic copyright settlement. ClaimsHero—which has no litiga...
authorsguild.org
September 29, 2026 at 9:24 PM
I got one of those. Do not get into their greedy maw. Just sorting out my Anthropic settlement stuff now. (It's complicated, at least if you're me.)
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
😱
An adult bear popped open a parked car in Gatlinburg, and the whole family piled in for a little retail therapy. They raided the car, grabbed what they could, then dumped the loot in the parking lot.
September 29, 2026 at 12:25 AM
😱
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
The platform “takes aim at pesticides in food… It seeks accountability for polluters, with a pledge to get industry lobbyists out of regulatory agencies. And it aims to get substances such as lead and microplastics out of water, in part by strengthening federal drinking water rules.”
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed courts RFK Jr.'s MAHA voters with new health policy platform
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is making a play for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" supporters with the release Tuesday of a new health policy platform.
www.cbsnews.com
September 29, 2026 at 4:04 PM
The platform “takes aim at pesticides in food… It seeks accountability for polluters, with a pledge to get industry lobbyists out of regulatory agencies. And it aims to get substances such as lead and microplastics out of water, in part by strengthening federal drinking water rules.”
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
Wow! Pissed-off Trump voter says America is not great again, and she regrets her vote for Trump.
September 29, 2026 at 2:26 AM
Wow! Pissed-off Trump voter says America is not great again, and she regrets her vote for Trump.
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
“I think if we can acknowledge the kinds of logic people bring to these conversations, it creates the possibility of having better conversations. If we dismiss what they’re saying without any acknowledgement… it gets really hard to create a shared sense of understanding from which to move forward.”
She's spent two decades talking to parents who don't vaccinate their children. Here's what she's learned
Jennifer Reich has spent two decades speaking to families about their immunization decisions. In an interview, she unpacks what she's learned.
www.statnews.com
September 29, 2026 at 12:08 PM
“I think if we can acknowledge the kinds of logic people bring to these conversations, it creates the possibility of having better conversations. If we dismiss what they’re saying without any acknowledgement… it gets really hard to create a shared sense of understanding from which to move forward.”
Who among us can't identify with this man?
This is a metaphor for so many things these days that I couldn't choose
September 29, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Who among us can't identify with this man?
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
💙🆘️We can help this senior boy get the medical attention he needs by sharing, reposting and pledging. Every little bit helps to get him to safety.🆘️💙
🆘CODE RED🆘TBK TUE 9/29/26🆘🙏🏾PLEASE RE-POST🆘
🙏🏾PLEASE #PLEDGE 2 SAVE MY LIFE
💝Sweet 14YO #Senior White & Brown #Tabby "EPIPHANY"💝
😿💔Came In As Stray, CKD & Other Health Issues
🚨Needs #Adoption #Rescue #Foster🚨
▶️266201 www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...
🙏🏽 #AdoptDontShop
#Manhattan #NYCACC #CatsOfBluesky
🙏🏾PLEASE #PLEDGE 2 SAVE MY LIFE
💝Sweet 14YO #Senior White & Brown #Tabby "EPIPHANY"💝
😿💔Came In As Stray, CKD & Other Health Issues
🚨Needs #Adoption #Rescue #Foster🚨
▶️266201 www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...
🙏🏽 #AdoptDontShop
#Manhattan #NYCACC #CatsOfBluesky
September 28, 2026 at 4:36 AM
💙🆘️We can help this senior boy get the medical attention he needs by sharing, reposting and pledging. Every little bit helps to get him to safety.🆘️💙
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
Please help if you can! Queen City Cat Lounge is an adoption center I visit frequently here in Vermont and their window was vandalized last night. Fortunately they had double glass for the cats' safety, but the broken outer window needs to be fixed ASAP. www.gofundme.com/f/repair-and...
September 28, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Please help if you can! Queen City Cat Lounge is an adoption center I visit frequently here in Vermont and their window was vandalized last night. Fortunately they had double glass for the cats' safety, but the broken outer window needs to be fixed ASAP. www.gofundme.com/f/repair-and...
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
ANOTHER DHS VOTER FRAUD CLAIM COLLAPSES
Trump’s DHS claimed as many as 15,903 noncitizens were on Nevada’s voter rolls.
Nevada pushed back and demanded evidence.
15,903 became 185. Nevada checked the 185. The new number: ZERO. Every single one was a US citizen.
Trump’s DHS claimed as many as 15,903 noncitizens were on Nevada’s voter rolls.
Nevada pushed back and demanded evidence.
15,903 became 185. Nevada checked the 185. The new number: ZERO. Every single one was a US citizen.
September 28, 2026 at 5:44 PM
ANOTHER DHS VOTER FRAUD CLAIM COLLAPSES
Trump’s DHS claimed as many as 15,903 noncitizens were on Nevada’s voter rolls.
Nevada pushed back and demanded evidence.
15,903 became 185. Nevada checked the 185. The new number: ZERO. Every single one was a US citizen.
Trump’s DHS claimed as many as 15,903 noncitizens were on Nevada’s voter rolls.
Nevada pushed back and demanded evidence.
15,903 became 185. Nevada checked the 185. The new number: ZERO. Every single one was a US citizen.
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
It’s been two years since Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina. While the damage was devastating, the way this community came together to rebuild has been even more powerful. It is still a long road ahead, but we're in it together.
#NC11 #WNC #WesternNC #HurricaneHelene
#NC11 #WNC #WesternNC #HurricaneHelene
September 27, 2026 at 1:03 PM
It’s been two years since Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina. While the damage was devastating, the way this community came together to rebuild has been even more powerful. It is still a long road ahead, but we're in it together.
#NC11 #WNC #WesternNC #HurricaneHelene
#NC11 #WNC #WesternNC #HurricaneHelene
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
'For Customers Only' explores how restroom access- or lack thereof- reflects nationwide injustices #books #history
archive.ph/k4HSh
archive.ph/k4HSh
September 27, 2026 at 2:16 PM
'For Customers Only' explores how restroom access- or lack thereof- reflects nationwide injustices #books #history
archive.ph/k4HSh
archive.ph/k4HSh
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
Since 1979, worker productivity is up 93.7%. Typical worker pay is up only 32.7%. The gains kept flowing, they just stopped flowing to the people generating them.
Would a guaranteed income floor give workers enough leverage to close that gap, or is it too structural for UBI alone to fix?
Would a guaranteed income floor give workers enough leverage to close that gap, or is it too structural for UBI alone to fix?
September 27, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Since 1979, worker productivity is up 93.7%. Typical worker pay is up only 32.7%. The gains kept flowing, they just stopped flowing to the people generating them.
Would a guaranteed income floor give workers enough leverage to close that gap, or is it too structural for UBI alone to fix?
Would a guaranteed income floor give workers enough leverage to close that gap, or is it too structural for UBI alone to fix?
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
So is the White House, the Kennedy Center, and for that matter the Supreme Court, Congress, the executive branch, the rule of law, the military, public health, and.... Let's hope for a midterm landslide and thereafter some memory in the electorate of who broke what.
September 27, 2026 at 4:32 PM
So is the White House, the Kennedy Center, and for that matter the Supreme Court, Congress, the executive branch, the rule of law, the military, public health, and.... Let's hope for a midterm landslide and thereafter some memory in the electorate of who broke what.
Reposted by Melanie Scheller
“This is a disease that can be eliminated through vaccination of domestic pets.”
“This single case should not be of great concern because it is an infrequent occurrence in domestic pets,” Mitchell said. “However, this should be a reminder of why it’s so important to have dogs and cats vaccinated.”
“This single case should not be of great concern because it is an infrequent occurrence in domestic pets,” Mitchell said. “However, this should be a reminder of why it’s so important to have dogs and cats vaccinated.”
Louisiana confirms first rabies case in a dog since 2014
The Louisiana Department of Health has confirmed the first case of rabies in a Louisiana dog since 2014. It is the fifth rabies diagnosis in a Louisiana dog in the past 20 years.
www.wafb.com
September 27, 2026 at 4:56 PM
“This is a disease that can be eliminated through vaccination of domestic pets.”
“This single case should not be of great concern because it is an infrequent occurrence in domestic pets,” Mitchell said. “However, this should be a reminder of why it’s so important to have dogs and cats vaccinated.”
“This single case should not be of great concern because it is an infrequent occurrence in domestic pets,” Mitchell said. “However, this should be a reminder of why it’s so important to have dogs and cats vaccinated.”