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@belleslettres.bsky.social

480 followers 560 following 1.9K posts

Skeptical iconoclast freelancer, ex-Wall St lawyer,ex-Dubliner, outraged pol/econ observer, lover of Irish lit/theater/mother wit, now living in Normandy, searching for a home.

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belleslettres.bsky.social @belleslettres.bsky.social · Nov 21

A bestseller

Open Culture @openculture.bsky.social · Nov 21

Discover the CIA’s Simple Sabotage Field Manual: A Timeless Guide to Subverting Any Organization with “Purposeful Stupidity” (1944)

www.openculture.com/2024/11/the-...

Discover the CIA’s Simple Sabotage Field Manual: A Timeless Guide to Subverting Any Organization with “Purposeful Stupidity” (1944)

I’ve always admired people who can successfully navigate what I refer to as “Kafka’s Castle,” a term of dread for the many government and corporate agencies that have an inordinate amount of power ove...

www.openculture.com

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Vincent van Gogh @vangogh.bsky.social · 5h

Landscape in the Rain - 1890
https://botfrens.com/collections/46/contents/14814

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the artist formerly known as 'that guy' @oh-that-guy.bsky.social · 4h

Henry H II | Franz Kline
Oil on canvas

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

There's a little library that straddles the US-Canadian border:
the "Haskell Free Library and Opera House".

Since 1904, it's been free to use for people in Stanstead, Quebec & Derby Line, Vermont, with just a black tape line to indicate the international border.

(📷: Don Emmert, AFP, 2017)

Black tape marks the U.S.-Canada border inside the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in 2017.
Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

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onekade @onekade.bsky.social · 7h

The US government has known about the vulnerability in our cellphone networks for many, many years. They choose to do nothing.

Dhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · 9h

Legendary work from @gabrielgeiger.bsky.social.

He and a team uncovered a trove of data from a surveillance firm — location data from thousands of phone numbers from nearly every country on Earth.

The firm had been tracking everyone from Erik Prince to journalists to Jared Leto.

The surveillance empire that tracked world leaders, a Vatican enemy, and maybe you

Inside the hidden world of First Wap, whose untraceable tech has targeted politicians, journalists, celebrities, and activists around the globe.

motherjones.com

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Michael Lobel @mlobelart.bsky.social · 9h

This adorably lazy dog, painted by an unnamed 17th-century Genoese artist, seen today at Oxford's Ashmolean Museum

An adorable dog laying on its side, looking super chill, with its tongue hanging out

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Oor Blaze fae Skye 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @blazespage.bsky.social · 17h

Wood dye finally arrived, so got the heart done. Another wee project ready to go. #cats

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Yanis Varoufakis @yanisvaroufakis.bsky.social · 16h

Here, I reminded Google DeepMind's Tim Nguyen of some basic facts of life - or of Google, to be more precise www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dMI...

Big Tech vs Democracy | Yanis Varoufakis takes on Google's Tim Nguyen

YouTube video by The Institute of Art and Ideas

www.youtube.com

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belleslettres.bsky.social @belleslettres.bsky.social · 11h

Does not resemble the map of Ireland, but point taken

Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 16h

www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-po...

How Big Is Texas Compared With Other Landmasses?

As anybody who's ever made the twelve-hour drive from Beaumont to El Paso can tell you: Texas is big.

www.texasmonthly.com

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Celtic Ligers @celticligers.bsky.social · 16h

www.eventbrite.com/e/celtic-lig...

Celtic Ligers Kick the Áras LIVE (IN THE FLESH)

Irish Comedy and politics podcast goes LIVE on polling day for Irish Presidential Election 2025

www.eventbrite.com

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Tom Reagan’s Hat @rufustsuperfly.bsky.social · 16h

It’s Lillian Gish’s birthday.
Charles Laughton’s genius was to ask ‘what about Mother Goose…with a shotgun?’

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belleslettres.bsky.social @belleslettres.bsky.social · 12h

True, just hope Mandami continues to cut his own path

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Edward Hopper @edwardhopper.bsky.social · 15h

Blackhead, Monhegan - 1916
https://botfrens.com/collections/173/contents/3105003

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 15h

The frilled lizard is an iconic Australian reptile because of their utter fearlessness.

Their scientific name, Chlamydosaurus kingii, translates to 'King cloaked lizard' & you can see why.

They're one of a few modern lizards that can accurately be called bipedal, running upright on hind legs.

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The French History Podcast @fhp.bsky.social · 14h

In the past two decades France has leapt ahead of other European countries to become the world's second-largest arms dealer, behind only the United States. Many of these arms have gone to Middle Eastern states accused of war crimes, including Saudi Arabia.

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belleslettres.bsky.social @belleslettres.bsky.social · 13h

Unfortunately that describes Bill Clinton in the campaign trail and as president.

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Samuel Peploe @speploe.bsky.social · 14h

On the Brittany Coast https://www.wikiart.org/en/samuel-peploe/on-the-brittany-coast

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Paul Gauguin @gauguin.bsky.social · 1d

Lane at alchamps, Arles
https://botfrens.com/collections/44/contents/12269

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Edward Hopper @edwardhopper.bsky.social · 1d

My Roof - 1928
https://botfrens.com/collections/173/contents/3104405

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Vincent van Gogh @vangogh.bsky.social · 1d

Fritillaries in a Copper Vase - 1887
https://botfrens.com/collections/46/contents/14079

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David Sirota @davidsirota.com · 1d

a comment from a person who 1) expects nobody to remember that he ran a populist campaign for president and then literally "foamed the runway" (his aide's words!) for his bank donors while they foreclosed on millions of Americans and 2) is certain the interviewer would never dare ask about that

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Edward Hopper @edwardhopper.bsky.social · 1d

Bridge in Paris - 1906
https://botfrens.com/collections/173/contents/3105281

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Irish Literary Times @irishlittimes.bsky.social · 1d

Former Dingle cinema bought by Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness receives almost a million in state funding www.radiokerry.ie/news/former-...

Former Dingle cinema receives almost a million in state funding | RadioKerry.ie

The former Phoenix cinema in Dingle has been allocated €933,000 under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund | Radio Kerry News

www.radiokerry.ie

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belleslettres.bsky.social @belleslettres.bsky.social · 1d

Might need a stunt double

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GC Gi @caldeiragiselle.bsky.social · 1d

Daubigny's Garden' by Vincent van Gogh, 1890.

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David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 1d

The only way to make and keep our cities safe is through Live Ammo Sicario Cosplay for guys whose neighbors do the "twirl finger by their temple" gesture whenever they're mentioned.

Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 1d

ICE agents blocked an ambulance that was trying to take an injured protester to hospital.

"We are still not being allowed to leave by ICE officers.” an EMT said on radio

When driver tried to get out, an agent yelled, "DON’T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN, I WILL SHOOT YOU"

www.wweek.com/news/2025/10...

Documents Allege a Federal Agent at Portland ICE Threatened to Shoot an Ambulance Driver

Feds delayed medics who had come to pick up an injured protester. Then, according to confidential incident reports, the agents became aggressive.

www.wweek.com

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